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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026446">There Is Always Trouble In Night City</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarknessConsumesMe/pseuds/DarknessConsumesMe'>DarknessConsumesMe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Discrimination, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Future Fic, Futurism, Futuristic World, Gangs, Gay Pride, Homophobia, Lesbian Character, Night city, Romance, Science Fiction, Violence, homophobic antagonist, plot but also porn, tough lesbians</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:35:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026446</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarknessConsumesMe/pseuds/DarknessConsumesMe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>V and Judy go out on a date but fun and tender moments don’t come without trouble. Be it homophobic assholes who are practically asking to be beaten or other gonks who cause problems. Trouble is coming and going with them wherever they go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Judy Alvarez/Female V</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There will be violence but also explicit sexual content later in the story. Rated 18+. The story won't be too violent, don't worry.</p><p>Minor spoiler warning if you haven't gotten very far in the main story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ringing of the alarm clock reached V's ears and brought her out of the sweet dream she had. She was aware that she was no longer sleeping but she didn't get up despite the annoying alarm clock that didn't stop ringing. She buried her head beneath her pillow, hoping that she could drown out the noises that way.</p><p>It didn't work. She was still able to hear the muffled ringing sounds. Minutes passed in which V didn't move an inch but then she finally lifted her upper body up and leaned to the left side. She stretched her arm out, trying to reach for her alarm clock. The third attempt was successful. The annoying ringing had finally stopped.</p><p>V put her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes again. She dozed for a few more minutes but realized that she wouldn't fall asleep again. The alarm had served its purpose. She was awake and wouldn't fall asleep again so soon, no matter how long she would remain in bed.</p><p>V sat up slowly, stretched her arms out and allowed a loud yawn to escape her lips. She brought her hands to her face and rubbed the sleep out of her tired eyes. She pulled the blanket away and got up from the bed. Her bare feet came in contact with the soft carpet that tingled her feet.</p><p>She slipped into her slippers and put her hand on the wall next to her, searching for the light switch. She found it quickly and used it, screwing up her eyes as the blinding light met her pupils. She needed a few moments to get used to it but then she was able to look around without anything hindering her. Her flat looked exactly as she had left it. Nothing had changed.</p><p>She didn't hesitate to walk over to the drink dispenser that was built into the wall and ordered a coffee by putting her hand on a certain icon showed on the screen. She waited a few moments and then took a mug out of the take-out port. She brought the edge of the mug to her lips and blew until it was cool enough for her liking. She took a sip of the delicious liquid. The coffee had the expected effect. V felt much more awake than before.</p><p>She emptied half of the mug and then put it aside for later. She walked over to the bathroom and discarded her red bra and panties, not caring that they fell on the floor. She stepped into the shower and turned the water on, closing her eyes when the first drop hit the top of her head. She listened to the soft sounds of water raining down on her body, soaking her hair and wetting her skin.</p><p>These sounds calmed her and made her forget everything that had happened in the past weeks. It made her forget all her worries, especially the construct in her head which was slowly overwriting her personality and killing her. These sounds also made her forget the people she had lost not so long ago and the guilt that comes with it.</p><p>Jackie, Evelynn, Tom and many others.</p><p>She was able to turn off her thoughts while enjoying the pleasantly warm water. She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally opened her eyes after a while. The thoughts she had blanked out immediately returned but she ignored them. Something caught her attention and prevented her from thinking about these thoughts. It was the ringing of her phone. Someone was calling her. She had no idea who it was but she already assumed it was someone important. Probably one of her fixers or a friend.</p><p>V decided it was best to accept the call if she would make it in time. If not, she had to call the person back. Could be an important matter. She turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around her upper body before she left the bathroom. She didn't care that her body and her hair was still dripping as she walked over to the coffee table where her phone laid. She dried her hands and picked up the phone, which had stopped ringing in the meantime, and checked out her messages and missed calls. She received messages from her fixers overnight but also from a person who was neither a fixer or a person she worked for.</p><p>It was someone else. A very special person who was very important to V. She didn't hesitate to call the person back, pressing the phone against her right ear. It ringed one time. Two times. Even three times but the person finally accepted the call after the fourth.</p><p>A friendly familiar voice greeted her. "Hello, V. I'm glad you called back."</p><p>"Sorry that I didn't accept the call in the first place.I just woke up and forgot to reactivate the direct-talk-function<strong>. </strong>If it would have been activated, I could have accepted the call in the shower and talked to you through the tech in my head."</p><p>"That explains why I can't see your beautiful face in front of my eyes. Too bad."</p><p>"Give me a sec, Judy. I will reactivate the function and switch."</p><p>"Take your time, V," replied the voice.</p><p>V brought her left hand to her head and pressed the tips of two of her fingers on the small metal plate next to her temple. Her lips formed a pleased smile when she realized that the switching process had worked. She could see Judy's head and torso right in front of her eyes.</p><p>"Now I can see you. You look great, V," Judy said, a smile could be seen on her lips.</p><p>V's smile became wider. "Thanks, Judy. You look great too," she replied and ran a hand through her wet hair. She turned off the phone and put it back on the coffee table. "How are you doing?"</p><p>"Despite what happened at Clouds, I feel good."</p><p>"We will make the Tyger Claws pay for what they did. I promise."</p><p>Judy sighed. "We will see about that. For now, we should keep a cool head and do nothing rashly."</p><p>"You are probably right. We shouldn't act without having a great plan."</p><p>"Would you mind if we don't talk about the Tyger Claws at the moment? I can't stop thinking about them so I called you, hoping that you can distract me a little."</p><p>V raised an eyebrow in interest. "What do you have in mind?"</p><p>A thoughtful look appeared on the other woman's face. "To be honest, I just wanted to talk to you and hang out with you. Can we meet?"</p><p>V didn't miss the hope in Judy's eyes. But there was also worry. It was obvious that something was bothering Judy. The recent events. V didn't need long to formulate a response. "Of course, we can."</p><p>The worry vanished from Judy's eyes and was replaced by relief. "That's great. What do you say if we meet near your apartment and grab something to eat? It's already midday and I haven't eaten anything yet."</p><p>"Sounds great," replied V. "I'm hungry too, to be honest."</p><p>"I will text you once I'm in Little China. You will have enough time to get dressed and so on."</p><p>V nodded. "See you later, Judy."</p><p>"See you later." With that, Judy hung up the call.</p><p>V couldn't see her own face but she had no doubt that a small amount of disappointment could be seen in her red eyes. She missed Judy's beautiful face and her lovely voice already. Fortunately for her, she would see her soon, so she didn't have to be sad.</p><p>It was only a matter of time until she would see her again. She was looking forward to spending the day with her girlfriend. There was nothing she enjoyed more than spending time with Judy. If she wasn't following a trace that might end in a solution for her problem with the construct in her head or completing contracts, she was spending time with the smartest woman she had ever met.</p><p>Judy was not only her girlfriend and one of the few friends she had left. She was one of the few persons she trusted these days and one of the few who knew about the construct in her head. About her hallucinations of Johnny Silverhand. One of the few who knew about her problems, her worries and fears. V didn't know what she would do if she wouldn't have Judy. She was glad that said woman always supported her.</p><p>"You should stop wasting time and do something about your hair," said a familiar rough voice. V turned her head, spotting Johnny Silverhand out of the corner of her eye. He leaned against the wall, arms were crossed in front of his chest and one of his legs was bent, the foot was propped against the wall. His body was pulsating and looked like it would fade the next moment.</p><p>Johnny turned his head a little, taking a closer look at V. "Your hair is a fucking mess, V. You don't want to meet your girlfriend like this, do you?"</p><p>"Of course not. I haven't even started getting dressed yet."</p><p>"Then stop wasting time and be quick. Who knows when your girl will be there?" With that, he vanished from her sight but V knew it was only a matter of time until he will return and get on her nerves again. Sometimes, his comments were quite useful, but most of the time he was a pain in the ass. V reminded herself that he was nothing more than a hallucination but that didn't make things much better. All she could do was to think about something else. Her girlfriend for example.</p><p>She reminded herself that Judy won't need long to reach the area where she lived, so she decided to hurry. She went back to the bathroom and regarded herself in the mirror. Her blue and red dyed hair was still wet and messy, meaning she had to do something about it. She took a hairbrush and began to comb her hair until it sat perfectly. She preferred to have her hair in a sidecut, combed to the right side and reaching her shoulders.</p><p>Her lips formed a smile as she regarded herself in the mirror for a few moments before she stepped away and walked over to the wardrobe which was built into the wall. She didn't need long to find a fitting outfit. A pair of black jeans, white sneakers and a white tank top. It was warm outside, so she didn't need a top with long sleeves.</p><p>She went back to the bathroom and put on a little amount of make-up. She highlighted her eyes with red eye shadow and covered her lips with her favourite lipstick. <em>Abyssal. </em>A deep blue, almost purple lipstick.</p><p>V made a few steps away from the mirror, regarding herself in all of her glory. She was satisfied with the way she looked and she hoped that Judy liked it too.</p><p>She made sure she had everything she needed and then left her flat, locking the door behind her. The first thing she noticed was the acrid smell that hit her nostrils the moment she stepped into the shabby corridor. She saw lots of other people who lived in the same building complex as her. Some looked shabby while others looked civilized. Some wore elegant clothes while others wore rags or clothes that were either too small or too large for their sizes.</p><p>Some people stood somewhere, talked to others or were smoking while others said on the dirty floor that was painted with graffiti just like the walls. Full rubbish sacks stood in front of full waste containers that were built in the walls. Some sacks even stood in the middle of the corridor, not far away from V's door.</p><p>Most of the levels in Megabuilding H10 Atrium, that stood in Little China, looked like the one V was currently in. This place had not been erected to house the rich. It was for those who didn't have the money to be able to afford a better accommodation. V was not poor but not rich either. Even though she could afford a better place to live, she hadn't moved out yet.</p><p>She could if she wanted but she hadn't had the time to think about it yet. She had other things to worry about than the place she lived in. She was rarely at home, not to mention that she was busy looking for a way to stop the relic from overwriting her personality. Finding better accommodation was low on V's list of priorities.</p><p>She ignored the disgusting stench and the wild and loud chattering of the people around her as she walked through the gate at the opposite side of the corridor. She turned to the right side as she approached the defect lift and walked a little until she reached a staircase that led to the next lower level. The stone railing was painted in orange but covered by ugly graffiti. Symbols, phrases and little pictures. Graffiti was nothing unusual for this building complex. It was almost everywhere. V had not yet seen a level where not a single drawing, symbol or phrase had been sprayed on the walls, floor or railings.</p><p>She arrived on the lower level and noticed that the corridor was rather empty. It was not usual that almost no one was walking through this corridor at this hour. There were no more than two persons that stood far away from each other. A slim woman with short pink hair and a fat man who wore dirty clothes and carried a bottle of alcohol in his hand. V ignored them and continued to move. She quickly reached the end of the corridor, arriving in a small connecting corridor where six vending machines stood.</p><p>V's eyes roamed the posters on the left wall. Advertisements for products but also for events like concerts, races or tournaments. None of them caught V's interest. She kept moving and arrived in another corridor. She could already smell the iconic scent of roasted beef, chips and other junk food. It smelled much better than the scent of puke and shit of the previous corridor. Lots of homeless people slept in the corridors of the Megabuilding and most of them rarely washed but V was used to such horrible scents.</p><p>The delicious smell of fast food made V's mouth water. She noticed the quiet growls of her stomach which told her that she was hungry. She wished she could get something to eat at this very moment, but she knew she would meet Judy soon, so she prevented herself from buying anything. She had to remain patient, no matter how hungry she would become. It was only a matter of time until she would get something to eat. All she had to do was to stay strong and ignore these delicious scents.</p><p>Her stomach protested but her legs didn't, so V was able to leave the corridor behind her. She caught sight of the gun shop on the left side when she walked around the corner. She had no desire to buy any gun, knife or any other weapon nor did she need more ammunition. She heard the owner Wilson talking loudly to a customer.</p><p>The few words V caught gave her the impression that they were arguing about prices. She glanced at the shop, smiling when she noticed Wilson's tomato-red face and the anger in his blue eyes. She had not the time nor the desire to help him out, so she turned her back to the shop and approached the lift opposite to it.</p><p>She put her hand on the display, calling the lift that way. She didn't need to wait long for the lift cabin to arrive. She stepped inside the empty cabin, using the display to select her destination. The first floor. She didn't listen to the female newsreader nor did she look at any of the four TVs.</p><p>The lift reached the first floor within less than a minute, its sliding doors opened automatically and allowed V to leave the cabin. The various stands were the first thing she saw once she was outside. Vendors sold food but also lots of other stuff like antique-looking Chinese vases and decorating elements, some of them were fake, or books and other junk. She didn't hesitate to leave the entrance area to the Megabuilding, stepping on the pavement after climbing down the shallow stairs.</p><p>The pavement was overcrowded by people but V was still able to walk without getting too close to a stranger. She had enough freedom. She didn't need to wait long for a message from her girlfriend. The message contained nothing but an address. A familiar address. V didn't need long to reach the desired place.</p><p>It was an Asian restaurant on a side street not far away from the Megabuilding. Not many people were on the side street, so V couldn't miss the person she was looking for. The woman wore a black pair of leather trousers and a blue shirt which sleeves only covered her upper arms. V could see the tattoos on her forearms but also on her neck. It was not cold, so the woman had no reason to wear a scarf which would hide some of her tattoos.</p><p>V's smile became wider the closer she got to the woman she wanted to see since a few days. She wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in a tight hug before Judy could do anything. Of course, Judy had nothing against this form of greeting. She returned the hug and mimicked V's smile. "That's one way to say hello," said Judy as they pulled away.</p><p>"I thought about trying something new, now that we're are more than friends," replied V.</p><p>"Not a bad idea. I also know a way of greeting."</p><p>V raised an eyebrow curiously. "Tell me."</p><p>Judy smirked. "I rather show you." Before V could react, Judy stepped on her tiptoes and brought her face to her lover's, pressing her lips on hers. Judy's lips were soft and felt so good that V had no other choice than returning the kiss. It was just a normal kiss that was quite short but it was good enough to leave V speechless when Judy pulled away. The taller woman brought her fingers to her lips and gently brushed her fingertips over them. The kiss might have been short but V had enjoyed it very much nonetheless. So had Judy.</p><p>"Your expression is priceless," announced Judy with a big smile.</p><p>V gave Judy a small smile and put her hand on her right upper arm, caressing it gently. They stared into each other's eyes for several minutes, their mouths were closed, so no sound could escape them. No recognizable sound at least. The couple averted their gazes after some time, slight blushes could be seen on their cheeks when a man and a woman passed them and entered the restaurant.</p><p>V cleared her throat. "We should go in before all tables are taken."</p><p>"We should," agreed Judy.</p><p>V instinctively took Judy's hand and opened the door with the other, allowing her girlfriend to get in first. She followed her quickly so that they didn't have to stretch their arms out. The distance between them was small, their fingers were intertwined and their hands rested below their waists. They ignored the looks they received from the other guests and the staff members. Some looked curious, some looked indifferent but there were some who looked suspicious.</p><p>V prevented herself from rolling her eyes. She didn't show that these glances annoyed her. She didn't even look at those who gave them such glances. Her eyes rested on the beautiful woman with the green-pink hair, whose hand she still held tightly. Judy hadn't missed the glances either but she said nothing about them, just like her lover. Ignoring them was the best they could do.</p><p>V checked her surroundings quickly, noticing that the restaurant's interior furnishing had not changed at all. There were about twenty tables that stood on the left side and in the middle of the room. The kitchen was behind the counter on the right side of the room. The walls were white, the floor was covered by beige piles. Some photos and painting hung on the walls, the light brown furniture was made out of softwood.</p><p>"Not bad," said Judy quietly.</p><p>"Have you ever been here before?" V asked.</p><p>The smaller woman shook her head. "Nope. I just chose it because it has good ratings."</p><p>"It's a good restaurant. I just don't like the looks some of the staff members are giving us."</p><p>"Ignore those gonks," muttered Judy and let her gaze wander. "There is a free table," she said and pointed in a direction. V's eyes followed her outstretched arm, finding the spot Judy was pointing at. There was a solid wooden table with two chairs at it. It was perfect.</p><p>The couple didn't hesitate to walk over to the table and occupy it before someone else could. Judy placed her hands on the left and right side of the tabletop, her lips formed a small smile when V covered her left hand with her own. She brushed her fingertips over her soft skin, tingling her that way. Judy couldn't help but giggle, her wide smile revealed her white teeth.</p><p>"Have I ever told you that I admire your excellent teeth?" V asked.</p><p>"No, you haven't."</p><p>"Your smile is beautiful. You should smile more often."</p><p>"I have enough reason to smile in your presence. I don't have many reasons to smile when you are not around. You help me forget the cruel reality and the events of the past weeks. You know exactly how to distract me and prevent me from becoming depressive. Thank you."</p><p>V brought a hand to Judy's cheek and caressed it. "No need to thank me."</p><p>Judy closed her eyes and pressed her face against her girlfriend's warm hand, enjoying the soft touch. She opened her eyes after some time, finding V smiling at her. V's red eyes still rested on Judy's beautiful face.</p><p>They said nothing for several minutes and did nothing but regarding each other. It was V who disrupted the comfortable silence by clearing her throat.</p><p>"We should order something before one of the staff members comes to us and request us to do that," the mercenary said.</p><p>"You are right," said Judy approvingly. She picked up one of the menus in the middle of the table and opened the first page, letting her eyes roam over the listed dishes. V was surprised by the sheer number of dishes when she did the same. She had not been in the restaurant for a few years but she still remembered that only a limited number of dishes had been offered the last time she had been there. Things had changed for the better. There was nothing wrong about a wider selection.</p><p>There were lots of dishes which V could pick but she had no idea what she should eat. Many dishes sounded good and she also remembered the dishes she had eaten the last times she had been there. A thoughtful look could be seen on V's face when she flicked through the pages. The choice was harder than she had thought.</p><p>She looked up from the menu, realizing that Judy was regarding her curiously. "Did you find something, honey?"</p><p>"No. You?" V asked in return.</p><p>"'Korean Fried Chicken' sounds interesting to me."</p><p>"You never ate it before?"</p><p>Judy shook her head. "Nope."</p><p>"Are you sure you still want it then? What if you don't like it?"</p><p>"Then I will steal your food," Judy replied jokingly.</p><p>"Very funny. And you don't want to eat something you have eaten before?"</p><p>The technician shook her head. "I want to try something new."</p><p>"Very well."</p><p>"Have you found anything, babe?" Judy asked.</p><p>V shook her head. "Not yet."</p><p>Judy's gaze fell back on the menu. "What about Meatball Ramen?"</p><p>"No, thank you."</p><p>"Chicken Peanut Noodles?"</p><p>V shook her head.</p><p>"Shrimps with noodles and vegetables?"</p><p>"Not that either. I think I'll ask the waiter what they can recommend to me."</p><p>"Do that, my dear."</p><p>V lifted her arm and snapped her fingers, trying to gain the attention of one of the waiters. She didn't need to wait for too long for a waiter to arrive. It was a young man who wore a black jacket and a black pair of trousers. He had short black hair, his eyes were dark brown and his skin was pale. He was Asian like the other staff members.</p><p>"How can I help you?" he asked politely. His slight Japanese accent was unmistakable.</p><p>"I have troubles choosing a dish. What can you recommend to me?"</p><p>"Are you vegetarian or vegan?" he asked.</p><p>"I'm neither."</p><p>"In that case, I would recommend 'Egg Foo Young'. It's a Chinese egg omelette filled with vegetables, pork and shrimps. The sauce is creamy and tasty."</p><p>V made a thoughtful face. "That sounds delicious but I'm not into omelette today. What about something with fish?"</p><p>"I would recommend you our 'Japanese Miso Salmon' then. It's..."</p><p>V didn't let the waiter finish explaining. "Salmon is fine. I'll take it."</p><p>The waiter nodded and wrote something on his notepad. "What about your friend?" he said and shifted his gaze to Judy."</p><p>V made no comment on the fact that he called Judy her friend. She saw no reason in telling him that Judy was her girlfriend. She was sure that he would find out that she was hers sooner or later. All she did was to signalized Judy to speak. The technician told the waiter what she wanted to eat. The waiter wrote 'Korean Fried Chicken' on his notepad and then turned his head so that he was able to look at both women at the same time. "Do you want anything to drink?"</p><p>V looked at Judy who did not hesitate to respond to the waiter. "Is your rice wine recommendable? I want your honest opinion."</p><p>"It is. Not a single customer ever complained about it. Keep in mind that it's not everyone's taste. But those who enjoy rice wine never said anything bad about it."</p><p>"I will take a bottle then," replied Judy.</p><p>"Make two," added V.</p><p>"Very well. Anything else I can offer you?"</p><p>"That's everything for now. Thank you."</p><p>The waiter nodded. "The food will need at least half an hour."</p><p>"Take your time. We are not in a rush."</p><p>The waiter nodded and walked away quickly. V's gaze fell on Judy, one of her eyebrows was raised. "It's only noon and you are already ordering alcohol," V remarked amusedly.</p><p>"Do you have any problems with that?"</p><p>"No, of course not. I'm just wondering what will happen later the day if we already start drinking at this time."</p><p>Judy put her hands on V's, pulling them to the middle of the table. She intertwined their fingers and brought her hands to her mouth, kissing her knuckles. "Lots of stuff you and I will enjoy," the pink-green haired woman whispered.</p><p>V smirked but said nothing in response.</p><p>"Besides, I did not plan to drink more than one bottle. We should be fine with that. No need to worry that we might do something stupid because of the alcohol's effect."</p><p>"I rarely do stupid things when I'm drunk. I intend to do<em> other</em> things."</p><p>Judy gave her lover a questioning look. "What is that supposed to mean?"</p><p>"You will find that out soon enough."</p><p>"Now you made me curious."</p><p>The smirk on V's lips was unmistakable. "That was my plan."</p><p>"You really enjoy playing the bad girl, don't you?"</p><p>"You like it, don't you?"</p><p>"I do. But you are not a bad girl in general, are you?"</p><p>"Only if you wish me to be."</p><p>Judy smirked. "Noted."</p><p>"Anyway. What were we talking about?"</p><p>"About alcohol and our plans for the rest of the day," reminded Judy.</p><p>"I have nothing planned at the moment. I would say we take our time eating and then see what comes."</p><p>"Sounds like a good plan."</p><p>"I always have good plans. Always."</p><p>"I know."</p><p>The couple continued chatting. They didn't even stop when the waiter came and put a tray on their table. He put the rice wine bottles in the middle of the table and small glasses in front of the women. They gave them thankful nods, not interrupting their talk about Braindances. They told each other of the most bizarre things they had seen in these VR recreations of someone's memories.</p><p>Only when their meals were served, they stopped talking. They thanked the waiter and turned their attentions to the food. "Looks delicious," commented Judy.</p><p>"It does. Hopefully, it tastes as good as it looks like."</p><p>"Would be a shame if not."</p><p>"<span>¡</span>Buen provecho!"</p><p>V raised an eyebrow, giving Judy a questioning look.</p><p>"That's Spanish for 'enjoy your meal'."</p><p>"Should have guessed it. Anyway, enjoy your meal too, honey."</p><p>V lowered her gaze, taking a closer look at her meal. The salmon had a light brown colour, some parts were a little darker than others. The fish laid on a thick layer of rice which covered almost the entire plate. There were even small beans next to the salmon and a cup of sauce next to her plate. The white liquid looked like an herb sauce. She spread the sauce over the rice and fish, regarding her meal once again.</p><p>It looked delicious and made V's mouth watery. She was glad that she had not eaten anything after getting up. That way, she would be able to eat everything. Her stomach was quietly growling, signalizing her that it requested food. She was happy to oblige.</p><p>She took the cutlery in her hands and cut a small piece of the fish, stabbing her fork into it. She brought the fork to her mouth, taking a bite. Her taste buds prickled when she chewed the piece with relish. She enjoyed the taste it left on her tongue. It didn't just look delicious. It was delicious. It tasted as good as it looked like.</p><p>She took another bite but looked at Judy this time when she chewed the food. "How is your meal, babe?" she asked once her mouth was empty.</p><p>"Better than expected," responded the smaller woman and took a sip of rice wine.</p><p>"I'm glad you like it."</p><p>"How's yours?"</p><p>"Not the best fish I ever ate in a restaurant but delicious enough for my liking."</p><p>Judy smiled. "Wanna have a piece of my chicken?"</p><p>"If you take a bite of my fish, why not."</p><p>"Deal accepted."</p><p>V giggled. "Very well." She put a piece of salmon on her fork and brought it to Judy's mouth, waiting for her to open it. Judy acted as expected, allowing her girlfriend to feed her. She ate the piece, her facial features told V that she enjoyed its taste.</p><p>"Wonderful," said Judy. She cut a piece off her chicken and put it on her fork. "Now you."</p><p>V parted her lips and allowed Judy to guide the fork into her mouth. She did not hesitate to close her mouth and chew on the piece of meat. It was a little spicier than the fish. Spicy food was not V's taste but she liked it nevertheless. It was different from the meals she usually ate. A nice change.</p><p>Judy gave her girlfriend a curious look. "And? What do you say?"</p><p>"It might not be the best Asian meal I ever eat but its good enough to satisfy me."</p><p>"That's all that matters," Judy replied delightedly.</p><p>V smiled but said nothing in return. She cut off another piece of salmon and brought it to her mouth. Her eyes didn't leave Judy's when she ate nor did Judy avert her gaze. They stared at each other while eating, the silence was anything but uncomfortable. It was pleasant.</p><p>Half an hour later, they had finished their meal but they didn't start talking again. V let her gaze wander and regarded the other customers. Most of the customers were not Asian and pretty young, only a few looked older than forty. There were more men than women, only a few kids and only four senior citizens. Each guest had a different clothing style. There were no guests who wore the same or similar outfits.</p><p>Each customer seemed to have their own style, which was not unusual. Fashion trends were changing rather quickly, sometimes from one day to the next. There were lots of people who only wore clothes which were in fashion but there were also lots of people who wore what they liked.</p><p>Making fun of others for their clothes was rare these days. If people wanted to brag about the money they had, they bought expensive Cyberware and implants and visibly attached them to their bodies. Clothes played a role in higher circles but neither V nor Judy belonged to them. They wore what they thought looked good on them. Sometimes it was just a pair of jeans and a tank top like in V's case.</p><p>V returned her gaze to Judy after some time, finding her smiling at her. "Are you thinking about something?"</p><p>Judy shook her head. "No, I was just taking a closer look at your beautiful face. You look good from all angles, there is no exception."</p><p>V chuckled. "Thank you."</p><p>"No need to thank me. I'm just speaking the truth." She earned another smile from V with that sentence. She put her left hand over V's right hand, caressing it gently. V's smile became wider, pure love was reflected by her eyes. This moment was very romantic but it ended too soon. Disapproving noises were the reason for the interruption.</p><p>They turned their heads, spotting a bald muscular man who wore sunglasses, leather boots, leather trousers and a leather jacket. He looked like a member of a rocker gang. Next to him stood a woman whose outfit was similar to his. She was one head smaller than V, her hair was cut short and dyed blonde, her eyes were dark blue.</p><p>V tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, giving the rocker couple a questioning look. "Can I help you somehow?" she asked politely.</p><p>The man said nothing for a few moments and then removed his sunglasses, putting them in his breast pocket before he made a step closer to the table V and Judy were sitting at. "You sit at our table," he said. His voice was rather quiet but still strong and serious.</p><p>"I don't see a name written on it or a nameplate. Seems you have to look for another table," V replied politely.</p><p>The man's eyes narrowed, a small frown appeared on his forehead. "What did you say?" he asked angrily.</p><p>V glanced at Judy, noticing the worry in her eyes. She looked back at the man who clenched his left fist and stared down at her.</p><p>"I said that this table is taken but there are other tables which are not. Go look for another one."</p><p>"My girlfriend and I always eat at this table. Always. For eight years."</p><p>"Seems you have to look for another this time."</p><p>"You are done eating," the man remarked.</p><p>"Our plates might be empty but we are not done eating yet. We do not plan to leave this table so soon. I have to disappoint you on this matter. Do everyone a favour and look for another table."</p><p>"Come, Bjerg. Let's eat at another table this time," the blonde woman said as she put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. She tried to pull him with herbut he resisted and remained standing on the same spot.</p><p>"We will take this one and not any other table," Bjerg hissed through gritted teeth.</p><p>"Better stop now, Bjerg, before you make a scene. Oh wait...," replied V sharply.</p><p>Bjerg's eyes narrowed even further. The expression on his face told V that he was not amused. Not at all. She was sure that he was one of those guys who were always looking for trouble. Without exception. His girlfriend, on the other hand, was not looking for trouble but there was nothing she could do about her boyfriend.</p><p>"I want to sit at this table," he hissed, his voice became much louder the next moment. "NOT AT ANY OTHER."</p><p>Out of the corners of her eyes, V noticed the shocked expressions on the faces of the other customers. They felt uncomfortable but none of them dared to say anything or do anything. They remained on their seats, some even looked at their fingers or at the ceiling, pretending that nothing was happening.</p><p>"Calm down, dude. There is no reason to freak out," Judy said calmly.</p><p>Bjerg's gaze fell on her. "I did not speak to you, punk," he hissed.</p><p>Judy raised an eyebrow. "Punk?"</p><p>"Is something wrong with your ears? I think I spoke loud enough."</p><p>"Can you stop acting ridiculous, dude? I have neither the time nor the joy to deal with your bullshit. Look for another seat and leave us in peace," replied the technician bravely.</p><p>"Or what?"</p><p>"Or I will call the badges."</p><p>Bjerg snarled, showing his teeth. "They won't be here in time, punk."</p><p>"Bjerg, please," the blonde woman said pleadingly. A small amount of despair could be seen in her eyes. There was nothing she could do to stop her boyfriend. Not with words at least.</p><p>"What is your freaking problem, Bjerg?" V hissed, causing Bjerg to look at her.</p><p>"My problem is that two subhumans are polluting my table with their rainbow-coloured gay asses," he hissed.</p><p>V's but also Judy's eyes narrowed to slits. "Say that again," V pressed through gritted teeth and got up from her chair. Her hands rested on the tabletop, her neck muscles were tense. She was anything but amused. She was furious about his choice of words."</p><p>"Fat rainbow-coloured gay asses," he repeated louder this time.</p><p>V would love to give him a hard slap and make his ugly head snap back but she knew that violence was no solution in this matter. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her skin was tingling nervously and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her body was tensed and ready for a fight. If a gentle hand would have not been laid on hers, she would have attacked the man. Due to this small but meaningful gesture, V managed to keep a cool head and not do the mistake to start a brawl.</p><p>"Either you apologize for your rude and inappropriate words or we have a big problem," said V. She checked their surroundings, noticing that the staff members were as far away as possible from them. They were either doing nothing and staring at the ceiling or they were pretending to do something. None of them would help them if something would happen. It was only a matter of time until things would escalate.</p><p>"I see nothing wrong about my choice of words. What do you say, honey?"</p><p>The woman looked at her fingers. It was obvious that she didn't feel comfortable in this situation. "I think you should apologize to these women. You are overreacting."</p><p>Bjerg turned his head abruptly to stare at his girlfriend. Doubt and betray were reflected by his eyes. "You are on their side? Are you kidding me?"</p><p>"They did nothing wrong," the woman said quietly.</p><p>"NOTHING?" he repeated loudly. "Their polluted DNA is all over our chairs."</p><p>"You are overexaggerating."</p><p>"I'M NOT."</p><p>"Yelling at your girlfriend doesn't make things better," said V, causing Bjerg's attention to fall back on her. She averted his gaze and looked at the blonde woman. "You deserve better than this gonk. If I were you, I would drop him and keep an eye out for a smarter and more tolerant man."</p><p>She looked at Judy who returned her gaze. "Come, Judy, let's leave this place. This gonk ruined everything. We should never return to this place."</p><p>Judy got up from her chair and stepped away from the table. V was about to do the same but Bjerg put his hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly. "We are not done yet, punk."</p><p>With that, he took a swing and crashed his clenched fist into V's jaw.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The pain was immense. V's cheek felt as if it had been pierced by a thousand needles, it felt numb but hurt at the same time. Her surroundings were blurred out and every noise she heard was muffled. She couldn't recognize any sound nor did she know what was going on. The pain was stunning her. It had been a long time since a living person had caused pain to her. She had not forgotten what pain was because the relic often reminded her.</p>
<p>The pain she was feeling at the moment was nothing compared to the amount of pain the relic caused, meaning V would recover from it sooner. She recognized the outlines of the man who had hit her when her vision became clearer eventually. She finally heard clear noises. Screams, footsteps and painful cries. She also heard feet that stomped on the floor, hands that hit body parts and other battle sounds.</p>
<p>After a few more moments, V was finally able to recognize her surroundings. She didn't need long to find out what was going on. She was lying on the floor, a chair laid next to her. Her jaw was hurting, so was the back of her head. She assumed that she had hit her head on the floor after she had been hit by the man. The man's punch must have been so strong that she had been thrown to the floor. Her limbs hurt but she ignored the pain and got up, checking her surroundings.</p>
<p>She spotted the bald man not far away from the table where she and Judy had been sitting. The man's hand was enclosed around the throat of the same waiter who had served Judy and her. V assumed that the poor man had tried to stop the bald guy without success. Bjerg throttled the guy, the anger in his eyes could not be seen by V because his back was turned towards her.</p>
<p>V's gaze fell on Judy who was tussling with the blonde woman. None of them had the upper hand for long. They were equally strong. Except for the waiter, no one had lifted a finger yet. The guests and the other stuff member stood there as if they were rooted to the floor, shock and fear were reflected by their faces. V couldn't expect them to help. She and Judy were on their own against this homophobic asshole and his girlfriend.</p>
<p>V had no idea how long Bjerg was already throttling the waiter but she knew she had to help him by every means. She couldn't allow him to get hurt or worse. Die.</p>
<p>She ignored her hurting jaw and jumped into Bjerg's back, shoving him forward that way. He landed on the floor together with the waiter who let a loud groan escape his lips. A glance at the Asian's face was enough for V to find out that he was in pain.</p>
<p>The waiter didn't get up but Bjerg did, faster than V had hoped for. He turned around as soon as he got up, noticing V out of the corner of his eyes. At least he didn't have the time to react to her following attack. Her foot hit his chest, causing him to stagger. Unfortunately, he managed to keep his balance and prevented himself from falling again.</p>
<p>V managed to hit him again with her feet but the next kick was not successful. He managed to catch her foot, enclosing his hand around her ankle. He didn't let her go, forcing her to keep standing on one foot. Keeping her balance was no problem for V, what was troubling her was the fact that she could no longer hit him with precise strong kicks. She was too far away from him to hit him with her fists, meaning that there was no way for her to attack him. She moved her leg up and down and to the left and right, hoping she could wriggle free of Bjerg's grip. Unfortunately for her, his grip was too strong.</p>
<p>She didn't miss the anger in his eyes nor the way he squeezed her ankle. The pain was not strong yet but it will get stronger, she was sure of that. She had to get free not only because of the pain but also because she was in a very bad spot. She was unable to attack the bald man but he was still able to reach her with his feet. It was only a matter of time until Bjerg would realize that V couldn't really defend herself in this position.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Bjerg was not thinking fast enough and didn't attack her yet. Without thinking, V executed a manoeuvre that was not easy to do, but it looked like she managed it with ease. She bent her upper body backwards and pulled the leg she was standing on quickly to her upper body, stretching it out the next second. Her feet hit Bjerg's chin, causing a loud painful cry to escape his lips as his head snapped back under the force of her kick. She bent her upper body even further back, stretching her arms out at the same time.</p>
<p>Her whole body was in the air for a split second. She landed on her hands, her outstretched arms steadied her. She did a handstand for a short moment, swinging her legs in the same direction in which she had swung her upper body. Her feet landed on the floor, she made sure she stood steady before she pulled her upper body up and stood up. She felt dizzy for a few moments but that feeling stopped as soon as most of her blood had left her head had flowed back in the other parts of her body.</p>
<p>Bjerg had gotten up in the meantime, his face showed nothing but pure anger. His bottom lip was burst, a small amount of blood flowed down his chin and dripped onto the floor. He spat two teeth out and raised his clenched fists in front of his head. "You will pay for this, bitch."</p>
<p>V raised her hands in front of her head, tilting her head a little. "Come get me, bastard."</p>
<p>A loud roar escaped Bjerg's lips as she sprinted forward and attacked. V managed to block his first two swings but the third hit her in the stomach, stunning her for a short moment. Bjerg took advantage of that and swung his fists again. One hit V's guard but the other hit her right side, causing a painful hiss to escape her lips. V pressed her lips together and ignored the pain, focusing on her opponent.</p>
<p>The rocker aimed at V's head when he performed a swinger but the woman managed to duck beneath his attack at the last moment. She noticed that the guard of her opponent was down, so she took advantage of that and executed a swift uppercut. She buried her fist in Bjerg's stomach, causing a loud cry and the air in his lungs to escape his mouth.</p>
<p>The pain that rushed through his body stunned him and prevented him from doing anything, allowing V to pull her hand back and bury her other hand in his stomach. She executed another attack, hitting his head this time.</p>
<p>His head snapped back, a cracking sound could be heard. The cracking of bones. Blood flowed out of his broken and deformed nose. V acted quickly. She jumped forward and tackled him, ramming her shoulder in his chest. She landed on top of him when she threw him onto the ground.</p>
<p>She sat down on his chest and began to hit him with her bare fists. He needed too long to pull his guard up, allowing V to land several punches in his face. She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pulled him up a little and rammed her forehead into his nose, making him howl out in pain. More blood flowed, Bjerg's facial features reflected pain. V realized after some time that he was no longer defending himself, so she got up and put her foot on his chest, looking down at him.</p>
<p>"Have you had enough?" she asked sharply. Her right side was still hurting but at least her jaw no longer was. The pain was not strong but not pleasant either. She doubted that one of her ribs were bruised or worse. Her eyes didn't leave the bald man whose face was a bloody mess. She regarded him for a few moments before she averted her gaze and looked at Judy. She sat on the blonde woman's back whose right side of the face was pressed against the floor. Her narrowed visible eye rested on V, her lips moved, muttering something unrecognizable.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" V asked Judy.</p>
<p>"My left side hurts a little but that's it. How about you?"</p>
<p>"I'm fine."</p>
<p>"You sure?" Her voice reflected worry.</p>
<p>V nodded. "I am."</p>
<p>"Shall we call the badges?"</p>
<p>V looked back at Bjerg. "I think that homophobic asshole learned his lesson. Next time he will think twice before messing with us." She tilted her head. "Am I right, asshole?"</p>
<p>Bjerg said nothing. His facial features were still distorted in pain, his teeth were bloody. V averted her gaze and looked at the waiter who had come to their aid. He was sitting on the floor, back leaned against the leg of a table. A female workmate was kneeling next to him and talked to him in Japanese. The man was much paler than usual but not as pale as he had been when Bjerg had throttled him.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" V asked him.</p>
<p>The waiter nodded hesitantly. "Thanks for saving me."</p>
<p>V shook her head. "No, I need to thank you. I don't want to imagine what he would have done to me if you wouldn't have intervened and caught his attention."</p>
<p>"We are even then."</p>
<p>"I'm fine with that. Tell the owner I'm sorry about this incident."</p>
<p>"It's not your fault. It was him who started it," the waiter responded as he pointed at Bjerg.</p>
<p>"You can still tell your boss that I apologize for everything. It will never happen again."</p>
<p>A weak smile appeared on the waiter's lips. "I hope it never will. At least this man will never be allowed to enter our restaurant again."</p>
<p>"Is there anything I can do for you?" V asked politely.</p>
<p>The man shook his head.</p>
<p>V looked at the blonde woman. "Take your boyfriend and get out of our sights. If I were you, I would look for someone better. His character is shit and he doesn't even look good. You deserve better."</p>
<p>The woman got up as soon as Judy had gotten off her back but she said nothing. She gave V a small nod and walked to Bjerg, helping him up. They left the restaurant together in silence. V had no doubt that a long discussion will be awaiting them. She could only hope that the woman was smart enough to listen to her advices. Breaking up with that bastard was the best she could do.</p>
<p>V averted her gaze from the door when she felt a soft hand on her right shoulder. She looked at Judy, noticing how quickly the worry in her eyes vanished. A small smile appeared on her lips. "So far our date didn't turn out as expected but it's not the worst date I have ever had."</p>
<p>"Let's hope it won't get worse."</p>
<p>"I'm happy as long as we spend time together. At least, we won't ever forget this date."</p>
<p>V put a hand on Judy's right cheek and caressed it. "The date is not over yet. There are plenty of things we can do."</p>
<p>"Do you have any idea what to do?"</p>
<p>"Not yet but we can discuss that after we left the restaurant."</p>
<p>Judy nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>V transferred a fair amount of money to the restaurants' bank account. Much more money than she had to. "This is for the trouble that was caused." She transferred twice the tip she normally gave to waiters to the young brave Japanese waiter. "This is for your courage and your willingness to help."</p>
<p>"Thank you," the waiter responded.</p>
<p>Together with Judy, she moved the table and those chairs that were still intact to their original positions. They wished the waiter and the waitress a nice day before they left the restaurant.</p>
<p>V was about to walk towards the other side of the street as she felt a hand on her shoulder that made her stop moving. She turned her head, looking at the worried face of the tattooed woman next to her.</p>
<p>"Are you alright?" asked Judy, not for the first time of the day.</p>
<p>"I think I already answered this question. I'm fine. My hands and my right side hurt a little but that's it."</p>
<p>Judy took V's left hand and brought it to her face, kissing her knuckles. V chuckled and put a hand on Judy's left waist, pulling her closer. "That was a rough start but things will get better now. I hope so at least."</p>
<p>Judy's response was a kiss which V returned happily. The kiss wasn't long but good enough to satisfy the women for the moment. They smiled at each other when they pulled away to stare at each other. V ran her fingers over Judy's right forearm to her elbow and then to her shoulder, massaging it gently. Judy said nothing and did nothing except for watching V.</p>
<p>The taller woman eventually removed her hand from Judy's shoulder and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. "Did something come in your mind which we could do?" she asked.</p>
<p>Judy shook her head. "Not yet."</p>
<p>"Hmm. I had enough action for the day, so I would prefer if we do something that is not very exhausting. I just want to relax a little."</p>
<p>"Something relaxing... There are plenty of things that fit in that category," responded V.</p>
<p>"I just want to chill a little. We could go to my flat or we go to yours. Whatever you prefer."</p>
<p>"I never went to your place, so I would suggest we go there. I'm curious to see it, not to mention that my flat is much further away from the restaurant than your place."</p>
<p>V wrapped her arm around Judy's waist and put her hand on her right hip. "Very well, honey. I don't see anything that speaks against it."</p>
<p>Judy's lips formed a wide and happy smile. "Wonderful."</p>
<p>"As you already know, I live in Megabuilding H10. It's not the nicest place to live, especially the corridors are very dirty. Don't expect too much."</p>
<p>Judy gave her lover a reassuring look as she caressed the back of her hand. "I will not judge you if that's what you are afraid of. Don't worry. I doubt that the circumstances of the place where you live will deter me. I have seen worse places than some of the levels of the Megabuildings."</p>
<p>"I believe you. I just wanted to warn you, that's it."</p>
<p>Judy smiled again. "That's nice of you. But nothing will deter me."</p>
<p>V gave her a quick nod. "Let's go then."</p>
<p>They walked at a leisurely pace through the side street. Sometimes they checked their surroundings, sometimes they looked at each other. Their focus shifted often.A lot of people came towards them and passed them, most of them didn't even look at them. V's hair colours as well as Judy's were not natural but neither conspicuous nor standing out.</p>
<p>Dyed hair was normal these days. Lots of people had colourful hair. It was normal. Implants and Cyberware were much more conspicuous than tattoos or dyed hair. Especially mechanical arms or legs were unmistakable and usually drew the attention of others on the owner.</p>
<p>But neither V nor Judy had artificial limbs. The small metal plate right above Judy's left ear was not enough to attract the attention of others. They didn't look much different from the average citizens of Night City.</p>
<p>Most people ignored them or didn't even look at them, only a few individuals regarded them. Most facial expressions were neutral but there were also a few individuals who gave them suspicious looks. It was the year 2077 and some people still looked askance at them. V hated that not everyone was tolerant these days. It was a shame that not everyone had been blessed with a functioning brain. There were still enough people whose point of view came from the Middle Ages. Too many dumb people lived in this city.</p>
<p>V knew that trying to change their minds would lead to nothing, so she always ignored such looks and inappropriate comments she received. She was not okay with the way these people behaved but she did nothing as long as they did nothing. She had no reason to start an argument with them, so she never said or did anything about these looks and comments. Ignoring such idiots was the best she could do.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, they met a lot of these guys on their way. Too many for their liking. They were the worst. But there was also another type of strangers they didn't like to encounter. Perverts.</p>
<p>Thirsty men who catcalled beautiful women, especially those who had nice curves. Judy's bosom was not as pronounced as other women's but she had a well-formed ass which was an eye candy in the pair of trousers she wore. She was aware of that but there was not much she could do about it. This pair of trousers was one of her favourites and she didn't want to wear shapeless ugly trousers to prevent others from ogling her. She was fine as long as they just ogled her. Anything beyond that was inappropriate.</p>
<p>Things were not much different in V's case. Her chest was much more pronounced than Judy's and her ass was in a similar shape. She often wore tops which didn't show much of her cleavage but like Judy, she couldn't do much about the pieces of clothing that covered the lower part of her body. Unlike her breasts, she couldn't really hide her well-formed butt.</p>
<p>All they could do was to ignore such perverts. Sometimes, they stopped on their own but sometimes they didn't stop, so V was either forced to speak a few harsh words or use force. Walking away was usually the best solution but it only worked if no one followed.</p>
<p>This was not the case at this very moment. A man in the age of thirty was following the couple for five minutes. Nothing but trash talk had left his lips so far. They continued to ignore him, but it turned more difficult than expected. V would love to stop and bury her fist in the man's face but she had enough trouble for the day, so she didn't let her body speak and just walked as fast as she could.</p>
<p>"Can you stop following us?" hissed Judy when they eventually came to a traffic light which showed red. "You are getting on our nerves."</p>
<p>"I just want you to answer my question," the man responded. His voice was husky and shaky, his eyes were glassy. The women had no doubt that he was tipsy. Maybe even more than that.</p>
<p>V turned her head and regarded the man over her shoulder. He wore a grey suit and a brown tie, a black sunglass stuck in his short blond hair. He was barely taller than V and not very muscular. He looked like a businessman, most likely a successful one. His suit didn't look cheap at all nor did the golden Rolex on his left wrist. V could only hope that he was not the type of businessman who thought that he could get everything with his money. Those guys were the worst.</p>
<p>"We told you more than once that we don't want to have a drink with you," Judy replied sharply.</p>
<p>"Ah, come one, ladies. Give me a chance and you will find out that I'm not the worst companion," the businessman responded.</p>
<p>This time it was V who responded to him. Her voice perfectly reflected how annoyed she was. "All you want is to make us drunk so that we make out in front of you. You are one of those pigs who hope to have a threesome. We are not interested and nothing can change that."</p>
<p>The man raised an eyebrow, curiosity was reflected by his eyes. "Are you sure about that? What if I pay you?"</p>
<p>V turned around slowly, her narrowed eyes reflected anger. She felt offended. Heavily offended. Not only was the man getting on her nerves for several minutes, but had also ruined their mood and bothered them. Now he also insulted them by offering them payment for certain services. He treated them like whores, better known as Joytoys. That was one of the worst insults for V. She didn't care about other swear words but if there was one word which triggered her more than anything else it was the word 'whore'.</p>
<p>She was not someone who sold their body for money. Neither was Judy. For V, him insulting her as a whore was not as worse as calling Judy a whore. If there was something V hated more than anything else, it was when someone insulted her girlfriend. That was something V would never tolerate and never forgive.</p>
<p>She clenched her fist tightly, anger spread through every fibre of her body. It was clearly visible in her eyes and in her face, which was distorted. V was more than just upset. She was furious. She pulled her arm away from Judy's waist and stepped to the man, grabbing him by the collar of his suit. She shook him violently and pressed him against the wall behind him. She had lifted him up so that his feet were no longer on flat ground before he realised what was going on.</p>
<p>Her red eyes bored into his glassy ones. "Did you just call us whores?" Her voice was loud and showed no sign of sympathy.</p>
<p>The man gulped, fear was visible in his eyes. "No...No...I didn't."</p>
<p>"You offered to pay us for dirty services," V hissed.</p>
<p>The man gulped again and tried to find the right words but nothing except for unrecognizable scrap of words left his quivering lips."</p>
<p>V pressed him harder against the wall, not caring that dozens of pairs of eyes rested on them. Two of these pairs belonged to policemen. A woman with short red hair and a man with a thick brown moustache. V lowered the man quickly, but still held him by the collar.</p>
<p>"Is something wrong, miss?" the man asked as he came closer. His name badge told V that his last name was Miller. He put his hands on his hips, tilted his head and eyed her over his sunglasses. He had dark brown eyes.</p>
<p>"I didn't mean to hurt him. I just wanted to signalize him that he should stop harassing us," replied V politely. Her heart was still hammering in her chest, her mind was racing. She was prepared for anything, but she hoped that the policemen would not do anything unexpected. She didn't have many good experiences with cops, so she hoped that these ones wouldn't regard her as the wrongdoer.</p>
<p>"He has harassed you?" the woman asked alarmed. Her last name was Greenwind.</p>
<p>"Yes, officer," confirmed Judy. "He has been following us for minutes even though we told him to stop and leave us in peace. He asked if he could invite us to a drink and when we refused, he became more annoying and asked us why we refuse his offer and so on."</p>
<p>Greenwind turned her head to look at the businessman. "Is that true?"</p>
<p>"No, it isn't. I would never do such things," stuttered the man. It was obvious that he was very nervous.</p>
<p>"So, you want to tell me that these women are lying and making up this story?" Miller asked. Doubt was reflected by his eyes. He stepped closer to the man and sniffed. He looked at his partner whose eyebrows were raised. "The man is drunk for sure. We should scan his ID."</p>
<p>Greenwind stepped to the man and grabbed his left wrist, waiting for a few moments as the scanner in her hand read out the man's ID chip. "Jake Wattson. 38 years old. Previously convicted for harassing several women."</p>
<p>"That's not true," protested the businessman but Officer Miller cut off his word before he could continue.</p>
<p>"We saw you walking behind these women on their way to the traffic light. There is no need for further explanations. The statements of these women plus the entries in your criminal record are proof enough. Telling us more lies will only make things worse for you. You have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you," Miller responded and shoved the man towards the police car that stood not far away from the pedestrian crossing.</p>
<p>Greenwind stayed and eyed the couple curiously. "Are you girls alright?</p>
<p>Judy and V nodded. "We are. Thanks for helping us."</p>
<p>"No problem. Sexual harassment is unforgivable and should always be punished. In every case. At least you didn't stand for it and showed that asshole that he cannot do whatever he wants just because he has a lot of money. I admire your courage," complimented the policewoman.</p>
<p>"Thank you."</p>
<p>"It's a shame that nowadays you can't even walk on the pavement without being harassed. This world is so shit," Greenwind said quietly.</p>
<p>"At least we know how to defend ourselves," said V.</p>
<p>"You do indeed. I didn't want to mess with you, to be honest. That guy was just too drunk and stupid to realize that harassing you is a bad idea. He is lucky that you didn't hit him."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't have been too bad either. Would have taught him a lesson at the very least," responded Judy.</p>
<p>"You are not wrong," admitted the officer. "But violence is rarely a solution. Anyway, I'm already holding you up for too long, girls. Have a nice day."</p>
<p>Judy and V nodded at her. "Have a nice shift, officer."</p>
<p>Officer Greenwind said nothing as she turned around and walked to the police car on which backseats Jake was sitting. Officer Miller sat on the front passenger seat and looked at his colleague. Greenwind got on the driver's seat and fastened her seat belt, starting the car and driving away as soon as the traffic lights showed green.</p>
<p>The couple regarded the car until it was out of their sight. "The day is not getting easier," Judy said eventually.</p>
<p>"And less forgettable," added V.</p>
<p>"We should cross the street and go to your home before someone else comes to the idea to offer us what this bastard offered."</p>
<p>"I still can't believe that he really thought we would get in bed with him for money. That rich asshole can put his money where the sun does not shine and fuck off."</p>
<p>Judy took V's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Let's hope that the officers won't let him go for a while."</p>
<p>V nodded and watched Judy fishing a cigarette pack and a zippo lighter out of her pocket. She opened it and took a cigarette out, putting it between her lips. She handed the lighter to V. "Would you?"</p>
<p>V opened the base lid and pressed her thumb on the spark wheel, pushed it down until a small flame flared up. She brought the lighter to Judy's head, holding the tip of the flame to the cigarette's end. The end ignited rather quickly.</p>
<p>She took a long puff, exhaling a white gaseous substance a few moments later. "Thank you," Judy said as she took the lighter from V and put it together with the cigarette pack in the left front pocket of her trousers. V didn't mind the cigarette smoke. If something would kill her, it would be the relic and not the consequences of inhaling burned tobacco. She didn't know how much time she had left, so she didn't shrink back from doing things she wouldn't do normally.</p>
<p>She wasn't a smoker nor did she like to be near smokers when they fulfilled their desire to consume nicotine. She usually stayed away from people who smoked, she even asked her friends and companions to smoke somewhere else. She used to do it but since she had the relic in her head, she no longer did that.</p>
<p>"Do you want to take a puff?" Judy asked after she had exhaled another cloud of smoke.</p>
<p>V shook her head. "As you know, I don't smoke."</p>
<p>"You took a puff the last time we were alone."</p>
<p>"That was something different. We had sex and you brought me to my climax. I needed something to calm down from the best orgasm I had in a long time."</p>
<p>Judy grinned at her. "That was a wonderful night. It seems like yesterday to me. These wonderful images still stick in my mind but I don't want them to leave. Such wonderful memories."</p>
<p>"That was an awesome night indeed. An awesome day. Diving with you and exploring your sunken home town was an exciting trip."</p>
<p>"A trip which brought up a lot of memories, yes. I'm glad that we did that. I'm glad you came with me and I didn't have to do it alone."</p>
<p>"If only I wouldn't have lost consciousness... Could have been much more awesome," replied V.</p>
<p>Judy took another puff. "Maybe. I was really worried when I saw you sinking down. Fortunately, I was strong enough to pull you up and bring you back to the shore. I don't want to imagine the worst-case scenario..."</p>
<p>V interrupted her to prevent her from imagining something sad. "You rescued me, that's all that matters. Nothing else. We don't need to talk about the what-ifs."</p>
<p>Judy nodded. "You are right." She took one last puff and then dropped the remains of the cigarette to the ground, stamping it out. She turned her head and lifted her gaze, admiring the building in front of her. "I have always seen H10 from the far but never from so close. It's impressive."</p>
<p>"It's beautiful from outside. It's an architectural masterpiece but the inside..."</p>
<p>Judy raised an eyebrow. "Is not so beautiful?"</p>
<p>"Yep. Most of the corridors are dirty, graffities are almost everywhere. Junk sacks stand around, blood and vomit on the floor is not a rare sight. Some people live in these corridors. They sleep in the corners or on the staircases. It's not the nicest place to live but it's better than nothing. H10 has been built for the poor."</p>
<p>"But you are not poor, as far as I know," responded Judy.</p>
<p>"You are right about that."</p>
<p>"But?" Judy asked curiously.</p>
<p>"Well, I haven't found time to look for other accommodation, so I've stayed there until now. I know I don't have to look for a new home because I can move into your place. But as you know, I'm too busy at the moment. I'm still looking for a solution to my problem."</p>
<p>The Spanish woman nodded. "I can guess. You can think about my offer once you found a solution. Once WE found a solution. Keep in mind that I won't be mad if you don't want to move in. We may know each other for more than a month but we only started dating recently. No need to rush."</p>
<p>"I appreciate your patience, Judy."</p>
<p>The smaller woman put a hand on V's cheek, caressing it carefully. "You have other things to worry about than my offer. Take all the time you need. First, we have to make sure that the relic doesn't take you over, then we can talk about the future. About OUR future."</p>
<p>"You are right, honey." V took Judy's hand and kissed her knuckles. She ran her thumb over the back of her hand, regarding it for a few moments before she let go of it. She turned her head, noticing Johnny standing next to the entrance to the lift. He leaned against the wall, a cigarette between his lips. His gaze rested on her for a few moments before it shifted to the lift.</p>
<p>V's eyes returned to Judy's face. "Let's get inside."</p>
<p>"Lead the way."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning! There is smut in this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Oh boy. You didn't exaggerate when you told me about the corridors. Damn, the floors are dirty," commented Judy when they arrived on the level where V's flat was.</p>
<p>"Told you that H10 is beautiful from outside but shit from the inside," V said as she guided her girlfriend through the entrance to the corridor they had to take to her home. Judy let her gaze wander to observe their surroundings. Her gaze fell on a homeless man who sat in front of the overfilled garbage press. She felt sorry for him and for everyone else who had to sleep on the cold and dirty floor. She was wondering how everyone could bear the acrid stench.</p>
<p>"You will get used to the stench quickly. It's only a matter of time until it won't bother you anymore. You won't notice it at all," V suddenly responded as if she had read the Spanish woman's mind.</p>
<p>Judy was still holding her nose, her only reaction was a short nod. V pulled her arm from Judy's shoulders and laid her left hand on the scanner that was next to the door at the same height as the door handle. It scanned her whole hand, analysing the chip inside her palm. As soon as the security protocol was sure that it was really V who was asking for entrance, it unlocked the door, allowing V to push it open.</p>
<p>V lowered her head and bent her upper body a little forward, pointing inside her flat. "Come in, my love. Mi casa es tu casa."</p>
<p>Judy giggled at V's pronunciation. "Almost, babe." She repeated the words, telling V how they were really pronounced.</p>
<p>"I'll try to remember it next time," V said and put a hand on Judy's back when she passed her and stepped into her home.</p>
<p>Judy let her gaze wander, regarding the main room. It was a combination of living room, kitchen and bedroom. "Only one room?" she asked V.</p>
<p>"Well, More like one room and two half-rooms. To your right is the room where I store my weapons and ammunition and the room to your left is the bathroom," explained the mercenary.</p>
<p>"Do you have a tub?"</p>
<p>"No, but I have a shower."</p>
<p>"Better than nothing. A shower will do too."</p>
<p>V raised an eyebrow, curiosity was reflected by her eyes. "For what?"</p>
<p>Judy smirked. "You know exactly for what."</p>
<p>V's lips formed a similar smile. "The day we meet, I would have never believed that you were not only a lesbian but also a rather thirsty one."</p>
<p>Judy's smile became wider. "I'm full of surprises."</p>
<p>"You are, indeed." V wrapped her arms around Judy's neck and pulled her closer until their chests meet. Her red eyes stared into Judy's brown ones. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's warm breath on their lips. The tension between them was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. V put one of her hands on Judy's back, caressing it. The fabric of her shirt was soft and didn't bother V in the slightest. She didn't need to look down to know where Judy's hands were. One hand rested on her left hip, the other rested on the small of her back.</p>
<p>V made no comment nor did she do anything when she noticed that Judy's hand had found its way beneath her tank top. She ran her fingers over the sweaty and slightly slippery skin, enclosing the distance between their faces. She didn't miss the way her skin began to tingle in excitement and how fast her pulse became the moment her lips met V's.</p>
<p>She couldn't get enough of these soft lips which touch could stun her, make her speechless and even breathless. V was by far the best kisser of Judy's previous girlfriends. She was by far the sexiest, funniest, smartest and bravest woman Judy ever met. She was the coolest person Judy knew. She was more than just glad that she met her.</p>
<p>Without thinking, Judy slipped her tongue into V's mouth after she had bitten her bottom lip softly and forced V to part her lips. Judy had shared a few passionate kisses with V before but she had never had enough time to explore all corners of her mouth with her tongue. But she had the time at this very moment and she took it.</p>
<p>Her heart began to beat faster when she felt V's tongue brushing past hers. The following wrestling fight of their tongues endured much longer than the women had expected. The fight for dominance ended before a clear winner could have been decided.</p>
<p>The women were breathless when they pulled away. They didn't stop looking at each other, their chests were rising and falling rapidly. They needed a few moments to catch their breaths. "That was a good one," V panted.</p>
<p>"Good is an understatement."</p>
<p>"Of course, it is. I'm lacking words because the kiss was so awesome that it made my brain stop working."</p>
<p>Judy smiled. "You always find the sweetest words."</p>
<p>"And you always show me the sweetest smile," replied the taller woman.</p>
<p>"Your smiles are not bad either," replied the technician as she ran the tips of her fingers over V's light brown cheeks. She moved her fingers to her lips and traced them. She pressed her thumb on the right corner of V's lipsand widened her smile.</p>
<p>"The lipstick suits you," Judy commented eventually. "You look gorgeous."</p>
<p>"So, do you," returned V. She brought her hand to Judy's face and brushed her hair to the side, revealing her right ear. She ran her fingers over the shell of her ear, toyed with her earlobe before she brought her hand to the other ear, doing the same. She caressed her cheeks and even ran her finger over her jawline. Her fingers wandered to her neck, over the rose tattoo on the right side to the identical tattoo on the left side.</p>
<p>Judy smiled at her happily, her lips were slightly parted but no words escaped her lips. The only sounds that could be heard were her slow and quiet breaths. She took V's other hand and intertwined their fingers, bringing it to her lips. She kissed the back of it, then the knuckles and at the last the palm of her hand. She licked over it, not minding the slight metallic taste.</p>
<p>V giggled, putting her other hand on Judy's head. She ran her fingers through her dyed hair, caressing her scalp softly. Judy closed her eyes and tilted her head a little, enjoying the soft touch of her lover. She pressed her forehead against V's, listening to her quiet breaths.</p>
<p>She reopened her eyes eventually, not knowing how much time had passed in the meantime. A quick glance on the clock on the wall told her that not so much time had passed. She looked back at V who was still smiling at her. Judy allowed her girlfriend to guide her to the settee and remove her shoes once she sat.</p>
<p>"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" V asked.</p>
<p>"I'm not hungry. The meal was quite satisfying. But I won't say no to a mug of coffee."</p>
<p>"Your wish is my command," V responded and got up, walking to the drink dispenser. She pressed the required buttons and took the mug out of the take-out port, walking back to her girlfriend. She put the mug on the coffee table right in front of the Spanish woman. Judy thanked her and leaned forward to pick it up, bringing it to her lips. She blew on it until the liquid was cool enough and took a sip. "Delicious."</p>
<p>A satisfied smile could be seen on V's lips as she leaned back and put her right arm on top of the settee. She didn't need to wait long for Judy to lean back as well. V put her right hand on Judy's shoulder, shifting to her. She snuggled up to her so that the sides of their bodies were touching. V put her feet on the coffee table, watching Judy doing the same. They removed their socks and tossed them aside, leaning their bare feet against each other.</p>
<p>"I love your nail polish," said Judy.</p>
<p>"Yours is quite similar."</p>
<p>"My nails are just black, while yours depict a gold skull and crossbones on a black background."</p>
<p>"Yours still look good. Especially because they are not too long. Long nails are very..." V stopped, looking for the right word.</p>
<p>"Unpractical," completed the green-pink haired woman.</p>
<p>"Exactly."</p>
<p>"I don't know any lesbian with an active sex life that has long nails. Long nails may look good, but they only interfere with sex."</p>
<p>"You might end up hurting your lover which could bring things to a quick end," replied V.</p>
<p>"Yep. I assume you have made experiences in this matter."</p>
<p>"I did. At least I was not the one who hurt the other. Let me say one thing. It's not very pleasant when the one with long nails slips while doing <em>things</em> down there."</p>
<p>"I believe it."</p>
<p>There was teasing smirk on V's dark blue lips. "Don't worry, babe. I trim my nails for you regularly."</p>
<p>"You better do if you want to get between my legs regularly."</p>
<p>The smirk became wider. "I would do everything necessary to get your permission."</p>
<p>Judy raised an eyebrow. "Everything? Really?"</p>
<p>V nodded and brought her mouth to Judy's ear. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper and sounded very erotic. "Everything," she breathed in her ear, causing Judy's hackles to rise. Her skin began to tingle nervously when thoughts came in her mind. Certain thoughts.</p>
<p>Judy was so lost in thoughts that she didn't notice V taking her legs and putting them on the settee. She blinked a few times when she realized that her head rested on soft material. Her eyes widened in surprise when she found out that she was lying on the settee and V was sitting on her, looking down at her with a smirk on her lips. "Do I want to know what you were just thinking about?" V asked innocently. The tone of her voice and the look in her eyes didn't fit together. She sounded like an innocent girl but her eyes reflected desire. She was playing with Judy.</p>
<p>Judy gulped as V leaned forward and reduced the distances between their faces. She had a perfect view of V's cleavage which could only be seen when she was leaning forward like this. When she stood upright, not a single part of her neckline could be seen. But V's current position allowed Judy to see a lot.</p>
<p>She didn't complain. Of course, she didn't. She had no reason to. She loved the view she currently had and she didn't want it to change. She would love to stare at her for hours if she could.</p>
<p>Judy licked her lips when she caught sight of V's red bra. It was not a normal bra, not a cheap one. It was sexy underwear for sure.</p>
<p>"Do you enjoy what you are seeing?" V breathed into Judy's ear right before she put a kiss right next to it and started to trail kisses all the way down to her jaw.</p>
<p>Judy's only response was a quiet moan.</p>
<p>"I didn't hear you, honey," V whispered erotically.</p>
<p>As expected, Judy's eyes hadn't moved away yet. "Of course, I like what I see."</p>
<p>V showed her girlfriend a beautiful smile. "I'm glad to hear that."</p>
<p>Judy put her left hand on V's hip, sneaking it beneath her shirt. The other wandered to V's right upper thigh and did nothing but resting there.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to remove my shirt?" V asked.</p>
<p>Judy nodded silently.</p>
<p>"As you wish." V put her hands on the hem of her tank top, pulling it up slowly. Judy licked her lips as more and more of V's muscular stomach was exposed the further she pulled the shirt up. Her gaze landed on her navel, moved up to her breasts which were still covered by the bra and then fell on V's hairless armpits. Her gaze didn't rest there for long, it quickly moved to V's beautiful face once she had pulled the shirt over her head.</p>
<p>Judy's hands landed on V's hips, her fair skin made a contrast to V's caramel brown skin. Her skin was not tanned, it was completely natural. Only her hair had a different colour than nature had intended. It showed no hints that it had once been as black as the feathers of a raven.</p>
<p>Judy ran her fingers over the smooth skin, her eyes stared into V's. The red-blue haired woman leaned forward and brought her head to Judy's, placing her lips on the smaller woman's. Judy would be a fool if she wouldn't return it. V didn't mind the slight taste of cigarettes which still stuck on Judy's lips even though she had not smoked in the past half an hour. It wasn't a pleasant taste but it still didn't bother the muscular woman. She had gotten used to it quickly. She cut out the taste of nicotine and focused on the taste of Judy's lipstick. She loved the cherry flavour.</p>
<p>Like all good things, the kiss ended eventually but their lips met again after they had taken a few deep breaths. This time they let their tongues come into play. For a moment, Judy feared that their tongues would become knotted but they managed to separate them effortlessly after they had wrestled. Judy didn't miss the pleasant tingling in her stomach nor how warm her body didn't wear thick clothes nor was the radiator turned on but her body still felt hot. She was wondering if V was feeling the same way or if only her body was acting strange.</p>
<p>Strange in a good way.</p>
<p>Judy removed one of her hands from her lover's muscular stomach and put it on her head, running her fingers through her hair. Even slightly pulls on her hair didn't stop V from putting kisses on Judy's neck. She kissed the rose tattoo on the right side and the letter above it. But she didn't leave it by kissing. She started biting after a few minutes. Gently biting at first but later she became a bit rougher. Her intention was to leave marks which wouldn't leave for days.</p>
<p>She made sure she didn't hurt Judy when she took her skin and fleshbetween her teeth. She always ran the tip of her tongue over the spot she had bitten before. Once she was done with Judy's neck, she switched to her collar bone. Her mouth even travelled to her neckline but she didn't move south enough to come close to Judy's black bra which could only be seen because her shirt had slipped a little.</p>
<p>The Spanish woman's left hand wandered from V's hand to her back, her fingernails were not sharp enough to leave scratch marks but she still ran them over V's skin. A low moan escaped her lips when V gently pressed her knee against the area between Judy's legs. Her girl was still wearing trousers and V was just slightly pressing her knee against the spot but Judy could still feel the effect. The exciting tingling couldn't be ignored. It became stronger and spread out, making Judy want more.</p>
<p>Fortunately for her, V didn't tease her for too long. The Arabian woman brought her hands to Judy's trousers, finding the button quite quickly without looking at it. She was still busy planting kisses on Judy's skin while her hands fiddled with the button. She unbuttoned the pair of trousers and pulled them down slightly, putting her hand on her belly, right above Judy's black panties.</p>
<p>"Shall I continue or do you want me to stop?" muttered V, lips still pressed to her girlfriend's chest.</p>
<p>"Continue," whispered Judy.</p>
<p>The corner of V's lips formed a smile as she lowered her hand and brought it to the area where Judy wanted it the most. She ran her fingers over the fabric, softly touching the skin beneath it. The moans that escaped Judy's lips were quiet at first and became louder when V's hand found its way beneath the piece of fabric.</p>
<p>Judy's eyes were closed, her head was tilted back and her lips were slightly parted. Her breaths were still quiet but no longer regular. From time to time, her breath stopped and a moan escaped her lips. This happened more regular when V pressed her thumb on a certain spot or ran the tips of her fingers over another.</p>
<p>V had enough proof that her lover was enjoying what she was doing and she was looking forward to making her feel much better. She had already made out the next step in her mind, anticipation was reflected by her beautiful eyes. She was about to do the next step when her head suddenly began to hurt.</p>
<p>The pain was slight at first, but it became much stronger within a few seconds. It became so strong that she could no longer ignore it nor could she do anything. The pain was drawing her full attention.</p>
<p>She brought her hands to her head automatically and put them on her temples. She rubbed her temples with her fingers but that didn't change anything. The pain was searing, she noticed that her heart was beating much faster than before. She felt sick suddenly and even had the impression that she would vomit the next moment.</p>
<p>She wanted to go to the bathroom in case she would vomit but her body didn't obey her. She could not convince her legs to straighten her up. She recognized a muffled voice but she had no idea to who or what it belonged. She assumed it was Judy's but she couldn't be sure.</p>
<p>Her vision was flickering, constantly changing between being clear and blurred. She heard strange sounds. A metallic pounding. Her current condition was anything butpleasant. All she could hope for was the pain to stop very soon. The malfunction caused by the damaged relic was the reason for the pain V felt. There was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was waiting until the pain would stop. If it would stop.</p>
<p>Fortunately for her, it stopped after some time. V lifted her head carefully when she realized that everything was normal again. She didn't hear any strange sounds, her vision was normal and she was no longer in pain. Her eyes fell on Judy who sat next to her and gave her a worried look. She had never seen Judy so worried before. She even noticed a small amount of fear in her brown eyes.</p>
<p>Judy brought her hand to V's left shoulder, touching her carefully. "Are you okay?" Her voice was full of worry.</p>
<p>"Now I am," replied the Arabian woman.</p>
<p>"Was that the relic?"</p>
<p>V nodded hesitantly. "It was. These malfunctions don't happen often but they happen."</p>
<p>"How bad was the pain?"</p>
<p>"On a scale from one to ten, it was seven."</p>
<p>"I wish there is anything I could do about it. I'm so sorry that I cannot help you, V."</p>
<p>V gave the Spanish woman a weak smile. "You don't need to be sorry. It's not your fault that the relic is killing me. It was not you who created it nor did you put it in my head. It was my decision. I was the one who accepted the job."</p>
<p>The worry hadn't left Judy's eyes yet. "I still wish I could help you somehow and make things better for you."</p>
<p>V's smile became wider. "You already help me without realizing it. Your presence comforts me. I love spending time with you, talking to you, hugging and kissing you. You allow me to forget my problems for a few hours every day. You give me strength and remind me that I have something to fight for. Not only do I not want to lose my life, but I also don't want to lose you. I will do anything in my power to get rid of the relic without dying so that I can return to you and we can spend our lives together."</p>
<p>Judy brought her hands to V's face and cupped her cheeks, staring into her eyes. "Always keep in mind that I will help you whenever I can. You just need to tell me what to do."</p>
<p>"I will inform you when I need your help. For now, I'm waiting for Takemura to call me once he found out something."</p>
<p>Judy nodded and got closer to V, wrapping an arm around her. She hugged her from the side, putting her head on her shoulder. "Everything will be alright," she whispered.</p>
<p>V put her hand on Judy's head, running her fingers through her hair. She caressed the top of her head carefully and leaned in to press a kiss on her forehead. The pink-green haired woman lifted her head eventually and stared into V's eyes for a few moments before she leaned in to press her lips on V's. The taller woman returned the kiss happily, wrapping her arms around Judy's shoulders.</p>
<p>Judy slipped onto V's lap in the course of the kiss. Nothing stopped her from kissing her girlfriend, not even the pair of hands that were laid on her butt. Judy didn't mind the groping. She noticed that her heart was beating much faster and her skin was tingling excitingly. She was aware of her own arousal, aware of how much her body wanted for more. V had started stimulating her nether regions before the relic malfunction had happened. Judy was really wet down there and she was hoping that V would continue what she had started.</p>
<p>Judy's wish became true a few moments later when V let her left hand wander and brought it to the desired area. She stroked over the soft fabric once again, noticing that Judy's breath stopped for a few moments when her thumb found her clit. She put pressure on it, smiling as a low moan escaped Judy's lips. She slipped her hand beneath the panties, tracing her fingers over her southern lips.</p>
<p>"You are so wet, honey," she breathed in Judy's right ear, kissing and biting it gently.</p>
<p>Judy said nothing in return. All she did was to close her eyes and tilt her head to give V better access to her neck when she began to trail kisses over her face and neck. The pleasure that rushed through Judy's body was strong but not strong enough for her liking. She knew that she would feel much better when V would really start. What she was doing at the moment was just a little warm-up. It was just foreplay.</p>
<p>The next moan that escaped Judy's lips was much louder than the previous ones. She didn't need to open her eyes and look down to know where V's fingers were. She could clearly feel two of them inside her. Her inner walls hugged those fingers tightly and didn't allow them to move for several minutes. Only when Judy's walls relaxed, V was allowed to move them slowly and carefully.</p>
<p>V was biting Judy's neck while she pumped her fingers in and out at a decent pace. She found Judy running her nails over her back while she pressed her upper body against her. The expression on Judy's face was priceless. The pleasure she received was clearly visible on her face.</p>
<p>"Yes, baby. Keep going. You make me feel so good."</p>
<p>V's grin was wide. "With pleasure, my love." She pressed her thumb on Judy's clit, her fingers searched for Judy's g-spot. An extremely loud moan could be heard when she finally found it. Judy threw her head back and leaned backwards, making it possible for V to plant kisses on her breasts. She used her free hand to pull up Judy's shirt, pulling it over Judy's head with her help. She discarded the piece of clothing and put kisses on the top of Judy's stomach, right beneath her breast.</p>
<p>She brought her hand to Judy's back, her fingers reached the clasp but she didn't go any further. She wanted to open her bra and free Judy's breasts from the constricting piece of clothing but she didn't. Something else caught her attention.</p>
<p>The number she was seeing in front of her eyes. Someone was calling her. Someone familiar. "I cannot believe this," muttered V.</p>
<p>She could ignore the call or reject it. She could but she didn't want to because she knew that the person wouldn't call her unless it was an important matter.</p>
<p>She glanced at Judy and gave her an apologizing look. "Excuse me for a moment, honey," she said as she pulled her fingers out and moved away from her girlfriend. She brought the hand, which fingers had not been inside Judy, to her temple and pressed the tips of her fingers on the small metal plate, accepting the call that way.</p>
<p>A familiar face showed up in front of her eyes. A good-looking male face with light brown skin and very short black hair. The man's right eye was brown, the other was a mechanical one.</p>
<p>It was no other than the former detective River Ward.</p>
<p>"Hey, River. How can I help you?"</p>
<p>River's face reflected worry. "Hey, V. I need your help. Something happened..."</p>
<p>"What happened?" V asked alarmed. She assumed that something bad must have happened otherwise River wouldn't call her.</p>
<p>River didn't hesitate to give her a response. "It's about Randy..."</p>
<p>"Randy? Is he all right?"</p>
<p>"He is but..."</p>
<p>"But what?"</p>
<p>"Randy received a message. A warning."</p>
<p>"A warning?" V asked worriedly. "By who? And why?"</p>
<p>"As you know, Randy was addicted to drugs. He no longer is but it turned out that he owes his former dealer a lot of money. The dealer requests Randy to pay his debts, otherwise...Something bad will happen," explained River.</p>
<p>V was silent as she thought about his words. "This is not good. Any idea who that dealer is and where we find him?"</p>
<p>"All I know about him is that he calls himself Chemlord."</p>
<p>"Chemlord? That's a very strange name. I never heard of him, to be honest."</p>
<p>"Neither did I," admitted River. "At least I know of the place where Randy and Chemlord met whenever Randy needed more drugs."</p>
<p>"How much time does he have?"</p>
<p>"They want it tomorrow."</p>
<p>"How much do they want?" V asked.</p>
<p>"45k."</p>
<p>V exhaled sharply. "That's a lot."</p>
<p>"We don't have so much money."</p>
<p>"I don't have so much money either. Maybe we should meet with Chemlord and talk to him. Maybe we find a solution together."</p>
<p>"I doubt that this Chemlord will negotiate with us. He will never relinquish the money Randy owes him."</p>
<p>"We have to try it. If we cannot convince him, we have to do it the hard way."</p>
<p>River played with his earring nervously. "It's dangerous but... I don't think we have another choice. I need your help V but I understand if you don't want to risk your life for us again. I won't be mad at you if you in that case."</p>
<p>V's voice sounded reassuring. "I will help you, River. You are my friend after all. Does this Chemlord work alone or does he have accomplices?"</p>
<p>"According to Randy, he always showed up with six lackeys."</p>
<p>V made a thoughtful face. I think we're going to need help if we're going to take on a drug gang. The odds are not in our favour if we only turn up as two."</p>
<p>"Randy insists to join us. That makes three of us."</p>
<p>V turned her head as she felt a warm hand on her other hand. She noticed the determined look on Judy's face. "Are you sure you want to come with us?" V asked, her voice was quiet so that only Judy could hear her. The Spanish woman nodded. "I am. I want to help you whenever I can."</p>
<p>"You could get hurt."</p>
<p>"So, could you," replied Judy determinedly. "Besides, I can take care of myself. I think I proved that often enough."</p>
<p>"You have a point," replied V. Her gaze returned to River's image. "I have someone else who joins us. That makes four of us. I can also call some of my friends, fixers and other people I work with or once worked with. Let's see if we can outnumber Chemlord."</p>
<p>"Don't forget that I don't want this to end in a gunfight. I don't want anyone to die. We only start shooting if we have no other choice."</p>
<p>"Noted."</p>
<p>River exhaled loudly. "I'll see if I can ask some of my friends to help out."</p>
<p>"We will come to your place as soon as we can. I prefer to take a shower first if you don't mind."</p>
<p>"The meeting is tomorrow at midnight, so you don't have to come to us as soon as possible. But the earlier you are here, the more time we have to make a plan," replied the former detective.</p>
<p>"We will come to your place as soon as we can, River."</p>
<p>"Thank you, V."</p>
<p>"Don't thank me now. Thank me when we have succeeded."</p>
<p>River nodded. "I still thank you for agreeing to help."</p>
<p>"No need to."</p>
<p>River gave her a small smile. "See you later, V."</p>
<p>"See you later," replied V and hang up. Her gaze moved to Judy the very next moment. She sat upright beside her, her facial expression was a mix of worry and curiosity. Before Judy could say anything, V began to explain the context and told Judy everything she needed to know.</p>
<p>"We can't have a moment for us, can we?" Judy asked once V was done explaining.</p>
<p>V put a hand on Judy's cheek and caressed it. "We will have time for us once we helped River."</p>
<p>"Hopefully."</p>
<p>"Life is hard, it was never easy. All we can do is to do the best of what life gives it gives us lemons, we make lemonade."</p>
<p>"So, we will take a shower now?" Judy asked. A small amount of anticipation could be seen in her eyes.</p>
<p>V nodded. "But it has to be a quick one because we don't have much time. No groping or touching." She didn't miss the small amount of disappointment reflected by Judy's face, so she brought her face close to hers and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "But the next time, we will take our time and enjoy the shower as best as possible."</p>
<p>"Sounds fine to me," replied Judy and got up from the settee. She offered V her hand, pulling her up. They went to the bathroom and discarded their clothes before they stepped into the shower. Judy turned the water on, her eyes fell on V's nude form. She licked her lips when she let her gaze wander and took a closer look at her lover's muscular body.</p>
<p>She wished she could touch her, kiss her and make love to her in the shower but she knew they didn't have the time for that. Even though the meeting was only tomorrow at midnight, it was best if they would meet V's friend as soon as possible. That way, they would have enough time to make a plan.</p>
<p>The desire to touch V was strong, very strong. She wished she could give in but she knew she couldn't. It was not easy for Judy to control herself and prevent her body from moving on its own. Her skin was tingling, especially the tips of her fingers. She was very wet and that was not only because of the water raining down on her.</p>
<p>She was very horny but she had to control her lower desires as best as she could. The want was strong but Judy's will was stronger. She managed to keep her hands in place despite the signals her body gave her. She could only hope that they would have the time to make love once they had dealt with the drug gang.</p>
<p>Judy had no doubt that V was feeling the same way as her. She could see the desire in her red eyes. She didn't miss the way V bit her bottom lip when she looked at her. Like her, V was able to control herself but it was not easy. It demanded a lot of willpower.</p>
<p>The women didn't stop to regard each other while they soaped and washed their skin and later their hair. Usually, they spent at least an hour in the shower when they were together. Sometimes even hours. This time, they were done after ten minutes. They turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, picking towels from the towel rack. They dried their bodies and their hair wordlessly, walking to V's wardrobe.</p>
<p>"You can pick any outfit you like out of my wardrobe," the Arabian woman said as she opened the wardrobe.</p>
<p>"That's nice of you," replied Judy and began to examine the content of V's wardrobe. She picked an outfit which caught her eye and put it on piece by piece. She didn't mind V watching her getting dressed. It was normal for her to dress or undress while her lover was watching her. They had seen each other naked a few times before, so there was nothing to be ashamed of or to hide. V had seen her in all her glory.</p>
<p>Judy regarded herself in a mirror once she was done. She wore a grey pair of jeans and a white shirt. She smirked at her reflection and turned her head to look at V who had already slipped in leather jeans. The green bra she wore was her only upper body clothing at the moment. She didn't need long to put on a dark blue pullover that showed no cleavage.</p>
<p>"How do you manage to look good in everything?" Judy asked. Her lips reflected a small smile.</p>
<p>V's smile was similar, a small blush could be seen on her checks. "I don't know, to be honest."</p>
<p>"You look great, V. You really do."</p>
<p>"Thank you. You too, Judy."</p>
<p>The Spanish woman took V's hand and intertwined their fingers. "You're going to ask your contacts for help now, aren't you?"</p>
<p>V nodded. "Hopefully, someone can help us. I'm going to make a few calls, then we will go. Feel free to eat something, watch tv or do whatever you want."</p>
<p>Judy pointed at the settee. "I will sit there and watch you. There is nothing more entertaining than you arguing with your fixers."</p>
<p>"You just want to stare at my ass when I'm walking circles while I'm talking to someone. Admit it."</p>
<p>Judy gave her lover a teasing smirk. "Maybe."</p>
<p>V chuckled and shook her head slightly. "Pervert."</p>
<p>Judy said nothing in return. All she did was to stare into V's beautiful eyes.</p>
<p>"Now is not the time for flirting, babe. We will have plenty of time once this job is done."</p>
<p>"I know, that's why I will not distract you any longer. Make your calls. I will relax on the settee and see if some of the Moxes will join us. I'll call Susie "Q" and ask her if she has a few girls to spare."</p>
<p>"Try your luck, babe," V responded and kissed her on the lips quickly, letting her go the next moment. Judy didn't hesitate to walk over to the settee and sit down, pressing two of her fingers on the metal plate above her left ear.</p>
<p>"Let's hope for the best," she said to V before she called her former boss.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was shining mercilessly, the air was warm and dry and no clouds could be seen in the bright sky. It didn't seem like the weather would change any time soon. The temperature was too high for V's liking, it would be unbearable without sunglasses and enough water bottles. The cooling that was built in her car was the only reason why she wasn't sweating like a pig. The air that was blown at her cooled her skin and allowed her to bear the heat.</p>
<p>The sunglass on her nose prevented the sun from dazzling her. Due to that, she was able to drive without going off the road. Her eyes rested on the road, her hands were on the steering wheel. The radio was turned on, a popular song was being played but V didn't pay attention to the music. Her focus laid on the road and the surroundings, she cut out every other noise. Every other noise except for Judy's lovely voice. "Is this the place we are looking for?" she asked.</p>
<p>The car left the plastered road and followed an uneven, not plastered road which was wide enough for two vehicles to drive beside each other. The road was strewn with stones, smaller branches and junk but the tyres of V's car were stable enough for it. Besides, they were not planning to follow this road for long. Their destination was ahead of them.</p>
<p>"It is," V said after a few moments. Out of the corner of her right eye, she noticed that Judy was looking out of the window and taking a closer look at their surroundings. "A small settlement at the beginning of the Badlands," Judy said quietly.</p>
<p>"It's not the worst place. There are no badges in this place but that doesn't mean the inhabitants can do what they want. Night City is right next to them and the badges won't need long to reach this place in case someone does something."</p>
<p>"I have no doubt that life is much more peaceful in this place than in Night City. Most gangs do not leave Night City, they don't go further than the outlying districts. meaning that no gang wars happen in this place. It almost appears that they are afraid of the Badlands," replied Judy.</p>
<p>"No wonder with the various nomad packs that move from place to place. I don't know much about nomads but I have heard that most packs attack any gang that sets foot in the Badlands," said the person that was sitting on the rear seat bench.</p>
<p>"The gangs are too busy fighting each other, they don't have the opportunity to leave Night City and go to the Badlands. But you are not wrong, Pix. I heard about a bloody fight between a nomad gang and the Sixth Street several months ago. The nomads don't like it when someone plunders their territory. Most nomad packs at least. The Aldecaldos do not attack strangers immediately without knowing what they want. I do not know any other nomad pack, I've only heard stories just like you," V told.</p>
<p>"I have never come into contact with a nomadic pack and I don't plan to," Pix replied.</p>
<p>"The Aldecaldos won't do you any harm unless you give them a reason to. I would stay away from other packs if I were you."</p>
<p>Pix said nothing in return and continued to look out of the window just like her friend Judy.</p>
<p>They crossed an old rail and came to the entrance of the small settlement. The houses they spotted were not the best looking but they were not shabby either. They looked decent and were suited to accommodate several people. There was graffiti on almost every house, only a few ones had been spared.</p>
<p>The first building to the right was a petrol station, several stands stood in front of the house next to it. People were selling food, clothes and other necessary stuff. Several people were near these stands, talked or examined the offers.</p>
<p>V drove through the road carefully, not wanting to knock down any citizens who weren't paying attention to their surroundings. They passed several parked vehicles before they came to a right-hand bend which they took without thinking about it. V remained calm as three children crossed the road not far away from them. She didn't honk nor did she shout at them that they should check their surroundings before crossing a road. She said nothing and continued to slowly drive towards their destination.</p>
<p>They stopped not far from a red Thorton jeep. V parked the car properly, shut down the engine and unbuckled her seat belt. "Here we are, ladies," she announced as she pushed the driver door open and jumped out of the car.</p>
<p>"I don't like this place," said a familiar rough voice.</p>
<p>V turned her head, spotting Johnny sitting on a grey box next to three blue trash bags. He took a puff from his cigarette and then disappeared, reappearing on top of the jeep a few seconds later. His body shimmered for a few moments, then began to vibrate and flicker. He vanished out of V's sight a few moments later.</p>
<p>"Is something wrong?" Judy asked.</p>
<p>V shook her head. "Everything is fine." Her gaze fell on the house to the right, the place where Randy lived before it wandered to the house opposite to her. Both houses were not the largest and not the best-looking ones but they were better than nothing. V had lived in worse accommodations in her life. These houses were villas compared to the hovels she had slept in when she had been young.</p>
<p>V's lips formed a smile as she caught sight of two familiar faces. Two children who were not older than ten or eleven. Monique and her brother Dorian. Both of them rushed over to V as soon as they spotted her. "It's great to see you again, V. It has been a long time since the day you visited us," said the girl with the medium-long black hair.</p>
<p>"It has been a while indeed. How are you doing, kids?"</p>
<p>"We are fine," replied Dorian. He had blond hair that was styled up. "How about you?"</p>
<p>"I'm fine too," she replied and let her gaze wander. "Where is your uncle?" she asked once she realized that Monique and Dorian were the only ones outside the houses.</p>
<p>"He is talking to Randy in his house," Dorian responded.</p>
<p>"Who are your friends?" Monique asked interested.</p>
<p>"This lovely woman is Judy and the other is Pix," V said, pointing at them the exact moment she said their names.</p>
<p>"It's a pleasure to meet you," the kids said in unison.</p>
<p>"The pleasure is ours," said Pix. Judy nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>"I wish I could play with you but your uncle, your brother and we have important biz to discuss," said V.</p>
<p>The children nodded understandingly. "Hopefully, we can play another time."</p>
<p>V smiled. "We will see about that."</p>
<p>V waited until the children had walked away and then turned to the building to their right. Judy and Pix followed her and entered the house with her. The smell of alcohol was clearly perceptible, the two male voices couldn't be overheard. They were discussing something but none of the three women could hear what the men were talking about. They stood in the door, Judy and Pix let their gaze wander. V had already been there so she didn't need to take a closer look at their surroundings. Not much had changed since the last time she had been there.</p>
<p>V knocked at the wall a few moments later to let the men know that they were there. River and Randy came to them, their faces reflected a little amount of worry which vanished after they had spotted V and her companions.</p>
<p>River was the first who stretched his right arm out and offered the women a handshake. "Hi, I'm River."</p>
<p>Judy took his mechanical hand and shook it. "I'm Judy."</p>
<p>"I'm Pix," the purple-haired woman said after she had shaken River's hand.</p>
<p>Judy's gaze fell on River's nephew. "And you must be Randy then."</p>
<p>"I am," the young man replied.</p>
<p>Randy reminded V a little of his uncle. They had the same hairstyle, hair colour and Randy's facial features had some similarities to River's. It was obvious that they were related.</p>
<p>"I'm glad that you are here. We need every helping hand we can get," said River and signalized the women to follow him. He guided them through the short corridor to Randy's room. He pointed at the bed, the swivel chair and the floor once they were in. "Sit wherever you want. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"</p>
<p>The women shook their heads. "We are fine," V said for them. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the left edge, saying nothing as Judy said next to her. Pix chose to lean against the wall next to the sliding door. She turned her head and took a closer look at the surroundings. "Doesn't look too bad," she said quietly.</p>
<p>"Is it only the five of us or will some else be joining us?" asked Judy.</p>
<p>"My sister Joss wants to join but I prefer if we do this without her. It's not about her getting hurt. I mean, I don't want her to get hurt but... Joss is not a fighter. She is not good with weapons, so she will only be a burden, as bad as this sounds. I don't want anything to happen to her," told River.</p>
<p>"I know what you mean," said V.</p>
<p>"One of my friends agreed to help. He will arrive in a few hours."</p>
<p>"So only the six of us against a drug gang," summarized Pix.</p>
<p>Randy's gaze fell on the former doll, whose entire body looked like it was made of plastic. Her skin shone unnaturally and her tattoos glowed purplish. She looked more like a puppet than a real human being.</p>
<p>"The gang is not the biggest. Besides Chemlord, there are six more members," the young man responded.</p>
<p>"Means six against seven," said Judy.</p>
<p>"If we do not manage to convince them to make a deal with us, we have to shoot them before they can shoot us," expressed River.</p>
<p>"Do we really have to kill them?" asked Judy.</p>
<p>"We have to if they leave us no other choice," replied River.</p>
<p>"We would kill them for the safety of Randy and his family. I've killed for less," admitted V. "Night City is a cruel place. Killing is necessary if you want to survive."</p>
<p>Judy sighed. "I know that, babe. I won't shrink back from killing someone but I only do it if I have to."</p>
<p>V put her hand on Judy's right upper thigh. "It's all about Chemlord and his gang, whether they survive tomorrow. We will try to find a peaceful solution but if they don't want to cooperate..." V stopped speaking and made a cutthroat gesture.</p>
<p>The technician gave her girlfriend an understanding nod. "So be it."</p>
<p>"Do you have a plan already?" V asked River and Randy.</p>
<p>"Not yet," admitted River.</p>
<p>"Do you have an image of the place where we will meet them?" asked Judy.</p>
<p>"I can give you a detailed scan of the area if you can make use of that."</p>
<p>"That would be great."</p>
<p>River didn't need long to send her the data which he also sent to V and Pix. The women regarded the area individually, zooming in and out to take a closer look. The meeting point was above a tunnel that had been built into a mountain. The vegetation was sparse, there weren't many possibilities to hide. A few bushes and the dark tunnel were the only places that came into question. The ground had a brown-red colour and didn't look fertile. It appeared to be hard and dry.</p>
<p>"What do you say?" River asked after a few minutes.</p>
<p>"The area is not ideal but we should be able to ambush them if we prepare well enough. You and Randy could meet them and try to make a deal with them while we hide in the bushes and in the tunnel. If they refuse to cooperate, we will fire at them," proposed V.</p>
<p>"What about if Chemlord brings a netrunner with him?" asked Randy. "They could detect your positions pretty easily."</p>
<p>"I will handle any netrunner. I will make sure that we remain undetected. I have some tech which will disturb their systems and tech. They won't spot us," Judy assured.</p>
<p>"Sounds good," replied River. His gaze fell on V. "Where will you hide?"</p>
<p>"In one of the bushes, near to the entrance. The faster I get to them, the faster I can kill them."</p>
<p>"And you?" River asked Pix.</p>
<p>"Do they come from the other side of the tunnel or from another direction?" the Mox asked.</p>
<p>"From the south-east. Their base is an old communication tower not far away from the tunnel. There are lots of containers to the right of the tower where they store their drugs and other goods they sell," explained Randy.</p>
<p>"So, they won't come through the tunnel. That's good to know."</p>
<p>Randy nodded. "They usually arrive before the agreed time, meaning they won't be able to check the tunnel if we arrive before them."</p>
<p>"Is there anything else we need to know about the area or the gang?" V asked.</p>
<p>"Besides that, they are unpredictable and Chemlord is kinda crazy, there is nothing you need to know. My uncle already knows that provoking Chemlord is not a good idea. He freaks out pretty quickly if you say a wrong word or make a wrong move. I wouldn't get on his bad side."</p>
<p>"I'm sure you and your uncle will find the right words. If not, we will let our weapons speak," responded V.</p>
<p>River nodded. "Do you want to add something or is everything fine? We can make up another plan if you want."</p>
<p>V looked at Judy, receiving a nod from her, and then at Pix who made the same gesture as her former colleague. V looked back at River and his nephew. "The plan is good. You just have to make sure that you get behind cover quickly when the shooting starts. I don't want to hoist your dead bodies to Joss. I don't want to see her mourn for you."</p>
<p>"We will give our best," said Randy.</p>
<p>"Let's hope your best is enough," muttered Pix.</p>
<p>"Do you have any idea what kind of offer you want to make Chemlord?" the pink-green haired woman asked.</p>
<p>"Not yet," admitted River. "We thought about paying by instalments. We can get the required sum if we have more time."</p>
<p>"If he agrees I can help you to get enough money. There are a few people who still owe me money. Time is everything we need," said V.</p>
<p>"You don't have to," said Randy. "You should not pay for the idiotic things I've done. I should get the money on my own."</p>
<p>It was Pix's turn to say something. "45k is a lot. You will never raise enough money on your own in a reasonable time frame. If you don't have super-rich friends, I doubt you will get enough money together in the time frame Chemlord gives you."</p>
<p>"You might be right. The worst thing is, that I didn't even buy drugs from them worth of 45k. I bought drugs worth of 10 to 15k but not 45. They just decided that I owe them so much because I haven't paid for several months. These greedy bastards."</p>
<p>V gave him a comforting look. "Don't worry, Randy. We will find a solution. We will make sure that they won't hurt your mother and siblings. We will deal with them."</p>
<p>Relief could be seen in the young man's eyes. "I don't know how to thank you. All of you."</p>
<p>"Don't thank us yet," responded Judy. "We didn't solve your problem yet. Thank us when everything is over."</p>
<p>Randy said nothing in return nor did anyone else say anything. The five looked either at each other or at random spots in the room, the silence was unpleasant and awkward. The quiet voices of Monique and Dorian could be heard but none of their words could be recognized.</p>
<p>V was tapping her fingers on Judy's upper thigh. The technician watched her doing so, covering her hand with her own eventually. V stopped tapping and turned her head, looking at her girlfriend. She received a small smile from her.</p>
<p>She didn't miss the look on River's face. It seems that he was still not over her rejection. She had not meant to hurt him back then he had admitted his feelings to her. All she had done was to tell him that she was not interested in a romantical relationship with him. She had told him that it was not his fault, that it had nothing to do with his character or anything else. She had explained to him that she was not interested in men.</p>
<p>She had not mentioned to him that she had a girlfriend but V was sure at this point that he was aware of what Judy was to her. His facial expression was hard to interpret but V was certain that she had spotted jealously for a short moment. She didn't know everything about River but she was sure he will get over it someday. He had to.</p>
<p>She knew that he was a reasonable man who would not do anything stupid. She didn't have to be afraid of anything. She had rejected worse people in the past and had even beaten some of them to make them understand that she was not interested. She knew she wouldn't have to do that to River. He was smart enough and knew what no meant.</p>
<p>"We have more than a day to prepare everything," said River to finally end the awkward silence. "Is there anything we have to get which increases our chances?"</p>
<p>"I borrowed lots of weapons and gear from one of my contacts. We are not lacking firearms, ammunition, grenades and boosts," told V.</p>
<p>Judy was the next who spoke. "I brought useful tech with me. Jamming transmitters and other useful stuff which will be a thorn in the eyes of hackers and netrunners.</p>
<p>River's gaze fell on Pix. "I have my sniper rifle and that's everything I need," the Mox said.</p>
<p>"So, we have everything we need," concluded the former detective.</p>
<p>"So to speak," said V.</p>
<p>"We have more than a day until the meeting takes place. If an idea comes in your heads, feel free to tell us. Or if you notice something we forgot to consider. We cannot mess this up." A small amount of worry could be heard in River's voice.</p>
<p>V got up from the bed and approached River, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be alright, trust me. We will handle this together."</p>
<p>River nodded, appearing less conflicted than before. "I do trust you. You helped me to save Randy without asking for anything in return. I'm glad I can consider you as a friend. I don't know what I would do without you."</p>
<p>V gave him a small smile. "There might be a day where I will need your help in return. But as you said, I'm your friend River. And friends help each other."</p>
<p>River was about to say something but he didn't get the chance because a loud feminine voice announced that the dinner was ready.</p>
<p>"Just in time, I'm starving," said Randy and walked to the room's exit. He stopped in the door and looked at his guests. "We shouldn't let my mother wait for too long. She hates it when she prepares dinner and no one shows up in the first few minutes. She hates it when the dinner gets cold."</p>
<p>"I won't say no to dinner," Judy announced and got up. She waited until River and Randy had left the room and followed them with V and Pix right behind her. They left Randy's house and made their way to the tables in front of the other house where River's sister lived with her youngest children. Monique and Dorian were already sitting on plastic chairs. Monique on a red one and Dorian on a blue one. They looked at each other, laughed and gossiped secretly about something.</p>
<p>They went silent when they realized that their older brother, their uncle and their guests were coming closer. They smiled innocently at River who caressed their heads as he passed them and sat next to them. Randy sat down to Monique's left, signalizing the guests to take a seat.</p>
<p>Judy sat down opposite to River, V to her right and Pix to her left. Judy instinctively reached for V's hand, putting hers above it. V turned her head slightly and glimpsed at her girlfriend, noticing the small smile on her lips. She said nothing to Judy or the others nor did the others say anything. The awkward silence was soon interrupted by a whistle. Someone was whistling a cheerful melody.</p>
<p>A familiar woman came in V's sight a few moments later. It was no other than Joss who wore a grey pair of jeans which looked similar to the one she had worn when V had met her for the first time. Unlike the last time, she didn't wear a jacket and a red pullover. Instead, she wore a purple shirt which sleeves reached to her elbows. Her brown hair was combed to the left side as usual. It was obvious that she and River were siblings. They had the same natural eyes and the same untainted light brown skin. Their hair colour was the only visible difference.</p>
<p>Even though Joss was the mother of a twenty years old son, she didn't look older than thirty. She had a beautiful face and a slender body. There was not a single sign that she had already given birth to three children. She looked good for her age. V was wondering if it was natural or if she had optimised her appearance by using the services of a ripperdoc. Looking younger was no problem these days. All that was needed was enough money and a skilled ripperdoc. People could look exactly the way they wanted as long as they had enough money. Almost everything was possible these days with the right sum of eurodollars.</p>
<p>V didn't know Joss good enough to ask her such a question, especially when they were not alone. She didn't want to insult her or embarrass her, so she said nothing as Joss put a cooking pot on a wooden tray in the middle of the two tables that had been put together. She walked back to the house and reappeared with a stack of plates in her hands. River and Randy got up and went into the house, coming back with cutlery, glasses and several beverages. Alcoholic but also non-alcoholic. They went back into the house and returned with more cooking pots. They put everything on the tables, made sure that nothing was missing before they sat down.</p>
<p>Judy and Pix introduced themselves to Joss who did the same in return. Once that was done, Joss began to serve the starter. It was a hot red soup with beans, maize, paprika and minced meat. She wished everyone a good appetite once she was done and received gratitude in return.</p>
<p>The soup was pretty spicy but V got used to it quickly. Spicy food was not the kind of food V preferred but it was still good enough. Not her favourite meal but better than nothing. She emptied her plate, noticing that River had been much faster than her. He was already on his third portion while Judy had not even eaten half of her first portion.</p>
<p>"Someone is pretty hungry," V commented amusedly.</p>
<p>River chuckled. "I haven't eaten anything today. I was too worried to eat something."</p>
<p>"I understand you." V got up a little and looked in the first cocking pot. "There is enough soup left."</p>
<p>"You can eat as much as you want," said Joss to her brother. River turned his head and looked at her. "Thanks, Joss. But I think I have enough soup for now. I don't want to relinquish the second course."</p>
<p>"Your choice."</p>
<p>River gave her a small smile before he averted his gaze and looked at V. He parted his lips to say something but then he pressed them together again and looked at his hands. V didn't miss the slightly embarrassed look on his face but she didn't make a comment about it.</p>
<p>"Do you want another portion?" Joss asked her eventually.</p>
<p>V shook her head. "I think I'll save up for the second course. I'm not as hungry as your brother. But thanks for asking."</p>
<p>"Your choice. Tell me if you need anything. Any of you."</p>
<p>"I don't know about the others but I'm fine for now," responded V and took a sip of beer. She put the bottle next to her empty plate, putting her hand on the armrest. She stretched her fingers out, reaching Judy's hand. Her girlfriend turned her head slowly, her eyes fell on her. She didn't miss the way Judy's lips formed a smile nor the joy in her eyes. V returned her smile, caressing the back of her hand with her fingers. Judy didn't stop watching her while eating her second portion nor did she stop smiling.</p>
<p>Who knows how long the women would have stared into each other's eyes if Joss wouldn't have caught their attention. "Can I ask you something?"</p>
<p>V and Judy averted their gazes and looked at Joss. "Sure," they said in unison.</p>
<p>"Are you...," she stopped speaking for a few moments and cleared her throat. "Are you two a couple?"</p>
<p>Judy turned her hand and spread her fingers, intertwining them with V's. "Yes, we are. Since a few weeks."</p>
<p>Joss smiled at them. "That's great to hear. I'm happy for you."</p>
<p>"Thank you," responded V. She regarded River out of the corner of her eyes, noticing nothing extraordinary about his behaviour. He didn't look jealous, hurt or embarrassed. His facial expression was surprisingly neutral.</p>
<p>"How did you meet?" Joss asked curiously.</p>
<p>V chuckled. "It's a long story. The short version is that we met in a gig. We worked together on several gigs and helped each other since then. We began to meet more often and later realized that we have feelings for each other. It's not an extraordinary story."</p>
<p>"Extraordinary or not, doesn't matter. What matters is that you found each other."</p>
<p>V wrapped her arm around Judy's shoulders and put her hand on her right cheek, caressing it softly. "You are right," she said to Joss while looking at Judy.</p>
<p>"You are such a sweet couple."</p>
<p>"Thank you," they said at the same time.</p>
<p>Joss became silent, the expression on her face changed. V regarded her with a raised eyebrow and a frown on her forehead. She assumed that Joss was thinking about her deceased husband.</p>
<p>As far as V knew, Joss was relieved that her husband was no longer bothering her but she was sad at the same time. Mostly because her kids no longer had a father. V knew that Joss and her husband hadn't gotten along very well in the last years before his death.</p>
<p>Joss had told her that life without her husband was as rough as life with him. He should have survived for their children. Joss didn't need him but her children did. Her husband had always caused trouble when he had been home. He had rarely been home, meaning that Joss had raised her children mostly on her own. His regular absence and his death had influenced Joss' children, especially Randy. If his father wouldn't have died, he would have never gotten addicted to drugs.</p>
<p>Joss managed to catch herself eventually, the sadness disappeared out of her eyes and a small smile returned to her lips. "Anyway, who is ready for the second course?"</p>
<p>Dorian and Monique raised their heads without hesitation, their gazes fell on their mother. "Me! Me!" they shouted and snapped with their fingers.</p>
<p>"Bring me your plates," Joss said and got up from her chair, leaning forward to reach the other cocking pots which lids had not been removed yet. She removed them and put them aside to make their contents visible for everyone. There was a small pot full of cooked vegetables, another small pot full of brown sauce, a larger pot with peeled potatoes and a much larger pot full of pieces of pork.</p>
<p>She put medium-sized pieces of meat, at least four potatoes with sauce, and two to three ladles of vegetables on each plate. She handed them back to Dorian and Monique and reminded them to eat the vegetables. The kids thanked their mother and began to eat happily while their mother began to serve the food to the others. Everyone got a large piece of meat and at least seven potatoes.</p>
<p>They ate and talked, not realizing how fast time passed once they found a very interesting topic. They didn't stop discussing until they heard the loud engine of a car that was shut down a minute later. "That must be Casilius," River said and got up from his chair, walking towards the end of the property.</p>
<p>V's gaze followed him so did the gaze of everyone else. The former detective approached the man who had just gotten out of a black Mizutani Shion, an expensive sports car.</p>
<p>The man was as tall and muscular as River, his hair was blond and reached to the back of his neck. The sunglass in his hair was as golden as his eyes and the suit he wore. "Didn't know someone brought Brad Pitt back from the dead," Judy commented amusedly.</p>
<p>"Brad Who?"</p>
<p>Judy raised an eyebrow. "You don't know who Brad Pitt is...or was?"</p>
<p>V shook her head. "Name doesn't ring a bell."</p>
<p>"He was a famous actor. Died in 2043."</p>
<p>"That was before my time," replied V.</p>
<p>"Same counts for me but I still know him. I watched some of his films when I was a kid. My mom was a big fan of him. Maybe I remember Brad Pitt's appearance wrong but that guy looks just like him. At least like a younger version of Brad Pitt."</p>
<p>"Could be a coincidence," said Pix.</p>
<p>"Maybe. Or he requested a ripperdoc to make him look like Brad Pitt in his forties. Who knows?"</p>
<p>V's eyes still rested on River and his friend who were shaking hands and hugging each other, their lips moved as they exchanged a few phrases. River pointed at their direction, saying something to Casilius. They walked in their direction and stopped a few feet away from them.</p>
<p>Casilius introduced himself to the group<strong>,</strong> smiling at everyone when he found out their names. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he finally said before he sat down on the last remaining chair that was not taken. He gave Joss a thankful nod when she handed him a plate of soup. He ate the soup quickly, telling Joss that he didn't need more because he had eaten not so long ago.</p>
<p>He leaned against the back of his chair, letting his gaze wander from one face to the other. "I already feel pity for those fools we have to flatline."</p>
<p>"We do not kill them if we don't have to," responded River immediately.</p>
<p>Casilius looked at him. "Do you seriously believe that Chemlord negotiates with you? 'Cording to the reports I read, he never gives in. He always gets his will and exploits those who are dumb enough to deal with him." His gaze fell on Randy. "Nothin' against you, kid."</p>
<p>"I'm no kid," replied Randy politely.</p>
<p>Casilius didn't respond to him, instead, he addressed River. "This is goin' to be a bloodbath, and I prefer the blood stainin' the ground to be theirs and not ours."</p>
<p>"We have a good plan already, don't worry about that. I will tell you everything once the little ones are in bed."</p>
<p>Casilius nodded. "Alright. I trust in your plans and in your skills, River. Don't know about the rest but I'm sure they are the best of the best you could get. You might no longer be a detective but you still have your connections. You should have at least."</p>
<p>"I do," replied River. "They are the best people I know. They are suited for this job."</p>
<p>"If you trust them, then I trust them too."</p>
<p>Joss brought her children to bed not long after silence fell. V and the others sat on their chairs doing nothing except for looking at each other or in random directions. The silence was not really awkward but not pleasant either.V's gaze mostly rested on Judy who looked back at her. Their hands touched quite often, making their skin tingle.</p>
<p>It was River who ended the silence after several minutes. "I think I'm going to bed too. Tomorrow will be a hard day and I rather stand up early to have enough time to prepare everything. Unfortunately, there are not enough beds in our houses. But there should be enough beds in the opposite house. My neighbours went to Night City for a few days and asked me to look after their plants and pets. As long as you don't devastate their house, you can stay the night."</p>
<p>"We make sure we leave it in the same condition we find it," replied Judy.</p>
<p>River fished a key out of his trouser pocket and threw it over to Judy who caught it easily.</p>
<p>"Thank you."</p>
<p>"You are welcome," said River and got up, making a few steps towards his sister's house.</p>
<p>"See ya tomorrow then," said V as she got up and wrapped her arm around Judy. "Have a good night."</p>
<p>"You too."</p>
<p>V gave him a nod before she turned around and began to walk towards the road. Night had already fallen but it was not too dark yet. Even if it would be much darker, V would still be able to recognize her surroundings due to her ocular systems. Her eye implants allowed her to see in the dark.</p>
<p>She found the way to the door of the house of the neighbour without stumbling over any of the various garden implements that were scattered all over the front garden. Judy put the key in the keyhole, pushing the door while she turned the key. The door got unlocked a few moments later, a loud squeaking could be heard when Judy pushed the door open. She stepped aside and allowed V to enter, whose first action was to look for the light switch. She found it quickly and turned it on, shifting her gaze to the door once the entrance hall was enlightened.</p>
<p>She waited until Pix and Casilius had entered the house before she closed the door and allowed Judy to lock it from the inside. She put the key in her pocket and turned to V who was smiling at her. She stepped to her girlfriend and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. She stared into V's gorgeous eyes for a few seconds before she averted her gaze and looked at Pix and Casilius. "Would you look around and find out how many beds are available?"</p>
<p>Pix nodded and walked away without hesitation, leaving the entrance hall through the door on the left wall. Casilius did nothing for a few seconds but then he followed. V and Judy went through the door at the opposite side of the entrance hall, coming into the living room.</p>
<p>The room looked decent. It was not too shabby but not too luxurious either. There was a grey settee near the right wall, a small coffee table stood in front of it. Next to the settee was a small green armchair with a footrest not far away from it.</p>
<p>On the left side was a table made of brown wood with four chairs around it. There were also shelves, an old tv and two standard lamps in the room. The floor was covered by a brown carpet, the walls were yellowed. It was obvious that the owner of the house was a regular smoker.</p>
<p>"Doesn't look too bad," commented V. "I have seen worse places."</p>
<p>"As long as there are beds, I don't really care how the other rooms look like," responded Judy. "We only have to stay the night and not live there for the rest of our lives."</p>
<p>"Fortunately. This place would be too quiet for me. I need some action and most action happens in Night City."</p>
<p>"I agree with you," said Judy in return. She turned her head when she heard steps, noticing Pix in the door to their left. Judy signalised her to speak.</p>
<p>"There is one room with a king-sized bed and one room with a normal bed. Casilius told me that he wouldn't mind sleeping on a settee. If there is one in this house."</p>
<p>Judy pointed at the settee. "There is."</p>
<p>Pix's gaze followed Judy's outstretched arm. "Perfect," she said when she spotted the piece of furniture.</p>
<p>"Would you show us the room with the king-sized bed?" Judy asked.</p>
<p>"Of course," Pix responded and signalized them to follow. She brought them to a room which was smaller than the living room. The bed was in the middle of the room, its blanket and pillows were purple. There was a bedside table on the right side of the bed and two wardrobes in front of the left wall.</p>
<p>"Bed looks comfortable," Judy said as she walked over to it and sat down.</p>
<p>"Is it comfortable?" V asked interested.</p>
<p>"Can't tell yet. Guess we have to find out."</p>
<p>A smirk could be seen on V's lips as she approached her girlfriend and sat next to her, putting her right arm around her waist. She turned her head, noticing Judy doing the same, and leaned in. Her lips met Judy's which were as soft as hers. The kiss was slow and passionate at first but it became steamier the more time passed.</p>
<p>V found herself on her back in the middle of the bed as the kiss ended. She had no idea how she had gotten there nor could she remember Judy climbing on top of her. The Spanish woman sat on her knees, her upper body was above V's and her hands were next to V's head. She was looking down at V with a predatory smile on her lips.</p>
<p>V could only grin at the woman above her. "Seems you got me."</p>
<p>Judy's grin didn't change. "Too bad we're are not alone in this house. As much as I want you, we shouldn't. The walls are pretty thin."</p>
<p>"I can be quiet."</p>
<p>"I know you can, babe." Judy removed her hands and got off V, sitting down next to her. "I wish I could fuck you right now but I'm afraid others might hear us."</p>
<p>"Fuck the others," replied V and got up slowly.</p>
<p>The lust in Judy's eyes was still recognizable. "We will be awake for a few hours at least if we do it now. Tomorrow is a very important day. A day on which we should do no mistakes. It will be a very long day, so we should get enough sleep so that we will still be awake around midnight. We cannot allow tiredness to let us do mistakes. We must be focused. Our lives and the lives of our friends depend on our actions, so we shouldn't lack sleep tomorrow."</p>
<p>V nodded. "You are right, my love. We should get enough sleep."</p>
<p>Judy didn't miss the disappointment in her girlfriend's eyes. She raised her left hand and brought it to V's right cheek, caressing it. "We will have plenty of time once we helped your friend."</p>
<p>"Once again you are right."</p>
<p>Judy brought her head close to V's and pressed her lips on her cheek. "Let's get some sleep, babe," she whispered into her ear and ran her fingers through V's hair.</p>
<p>V began to remove her clothes once Judy had given her enough space. She removed everything except for her bra and panties, throwing the rest on the floor. She turned her head once she was done, looking at Judy who was also wearing only her underwear. They got up from the bed and pulled the blanket down, lying down on the bed. They wrapped their arms around each other and pressed their bodies together. They covered themselves with the blanket and shared a few kisses before they closed their eyes.</p>
<p>"Good night, V."</p>
<p>"Good night, Judy."</p>
<p>They listened to each other's breaths, snuggling up to each other to enjoy the warmth radiated by the body of the other. Sleep didn't let them wait for too long. Judy was the first to fall asleep and V quickly followed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>V opened her eyes slowly, noticing that her vision was still blurred. She closed them and groaned quietly. She didn't miss the warmth radiated by the body that was slightly pressed against hers. She smiled as she rolled onto her stomach and searched for Judy's left shoulder. She found it and put her hand on it, wrapping her arm around Judy's upper body that way. She snuggled closer to the warm body, putting her head on its shoulder.</p>
<p>Her skin tingled in excitement, her breaths were slow and quiet. She felt comfortable for the moment. She wished she could stay like this forever but she knew she couldn't. It was only a matter of time until they had to get up and prepare everything for the meeting. They had important business to do.</p>
<p>V had no idea how late it was, she could only hope that she wouldn't have to get up so soon because she wanted to stay in this position as long as possible.</p>
<p>She had no idea how much time had passed when she noticed that Judy was moving slightly. She said nothing and pretended to be still asleep, not wanting to wake up Judy in case she wasn't awake yet. She realized a few minutes later that Judy was indeed awake. A pair of soft lips came in contact with her forehead, kissing it softly.</p>
<p>V opened her eyes once she didn't feel the lips on her skin anymore, catching sight of her lover who was lying next to her with her head resting on her palm. Judy's elbow was propped up on one of the pillows, her eyes were open and reflected tiredness. She was not fully awake yet.</p>
<p>"Morning, my love," Judy whispered quietly. "I hope you slept well."</p>
<p>"I have. I cuddled with the most beautiful woman in the world. There is no way I would not have slept well in that scenario."</p>
<p>The corners of Judy's lips formed a small smile. "You are flattering me."</p>
<p>"It's the truth," replied V and pulled herself closer to Judy until her lips were only inches apart from Judy's. She could feel Judy's warm breath on her lips which tingled in excitement. The desire to close the distance between them was strong and V didn't fight it. She gave in and brought their lips together. She had kissed Judy so often since they had come together and she still couldn't get enough of her. She was addicted to touching Judy's lips with her own. She was addicted to Judy's voluminous and soft lips. She couldn't get enough no matter how often she kissed her.</p>
<p>Their lips locked but then parted, their tongues left their mouths and entered the mouth of the other. They brushed past each other effortlessly, exploring the caverns they had just entered. The kiss ended eventually, resulting in both women being breathless for nearly a minute. Not only were the women satisfied for the moment but they were also fully awake.</p>
<p>V sat up and put her hands on Judy's hips, pulling her onto her lap. "How are you doing, babe?"</p>
<p>"I'm fine. And you?"</p>
<p>"With you by my side, more than just fine. There is nothing that would make me happier than spending time with you."</p>
<p>The Spanish woman smiled at her lover and stared into her eyes, saying nothing in return. The silence was anything but awkward or unpleasant. It was quite comfortable, allowing the women to relax.</p>
<p>Knocks at the door finally interrupted them and brought them back to the presence. They turned their heads and looked at the wooden door. "Yes?" Judy asked loud enough that the person on the other side of the door could hear her.</p>
<p>"It's shortly after eight," announced Pix. "You love-birds should get up. River just came here and told me that Joss is making breakfast. We will leave after eating."</p>
<p>"We will come as soon as we can," responded Judy.</p>
<p>"I'll see you then," replied Pix. Footsteps could be heard, but they quickly became quieter, telling the couple that Pix was just moving away.</p>
<p>Judy exhaled loudly. "You've heard her."</p>
<p>"Seems we have to get up and get dressed. Damn, I felt so comfortable at the moment."</p>
<p>Judy planted a kiss on V's cheek before she got up from her lap. She didn't miss the way her skin began to crawl the moment her body was no longer in contact with V's. It was longing for touch but Judy couldn't give in this time. She had to ignore her protesting body and put her clothes on. She didn't need longer than a few minutes to get dressed. Her gaze fell on the Arabian woman who put her shoes on at the exact moment. Judy offered V a hand, pulling her up when she took it.</p>
<p>"Thanks, babe."</p>
<p>"Don't mention it," replied Judy as she intertwined their fingers.</p>
<p>They picked up their backpacks and left the room, making their way out of the house. They could see from the far that Casilius and Pix were already on Joss's property, meaning that no one else was in the neighbour's house. Judy didn't hesitate to put the key in the keyhole and turn it two times, locking the door that way.</p>
<p>They left the property and walked to Pix and Casilius. River came out of the house the moment they arrived. He invited them to come in and led them to the kitchen table where smeared bread and toast, sliced vegetables and other delicious groceries were placed. There were also several mugs of coffee and two milk cartons. The hosts and guests were rather quiet when they satisfied their hunger. Most of them were not morning persons.</p>
<p>They thanked Joss once they were done eating and packing enough food in their backpacks. They said goodbye to her before they went outside. River and his nephew went to the red jeep, the others went to their cars. River started the engine of his car and drove until he stood next to V's car. He lowered the driver's window and stuck his head out. "I will lead the way. Just follow me. It's not far away."</p>
<p>V nodded. "I will be right behind you."</p>
<p>V started the engine and waited until River had passed her, then she put her foot on the accelerator, slightly stepping on it. She followed River at a decent pace, speeding up as soon as they left the small settlement. She took a quick glance at the driving mirror, noticing that Casilius' car was behind her. The distance was not too short but not too huge either.</p>
<p>They arrived at their destination, driving their cars into the tunnel.</p>
<p>"Are you sure we can park them there? What if a vehicle comes from the other side?" V asked River when she left her car.</p>
<p>"This tunnel hasn't been used for decades. Not to mention that the other entrance is almost filled with debris and rocks. Slim people could squeeze their way through it but there is no way any vehicle can get through it. Not without explosives. But no sane person would ever try to reopen the other tunnel side. The risk that the tunnel collapses is too high," he explained.</p>
<p>"We parked our vehicles in the middle of the tunnel, so there is no way Chemlord and his gang sees them even if they stand near the entrance," said Randy.</p>
<p>"Well, if they have implants, they might see them. Not to mention that their scanners could detect them," objected Judy.</p>
<p>Pix came to them. "You should be as far away as possible from the entrance when you talk to them. The further they are away, the smaller are the chances that they spot us in the tunnel."</p>
<p>River nodded. "Don't worry about that. We will make sure they won't come too close to the entrance."</p>
<p>"Is there anything else we need to consider?" asked Casilius as he approached the rest.</p>
<p>"Not really," said Randy. "My uncle and I will try to convince Chemlord that we can pay the sum in instalments. If they don't agree, we will flatline them. It's the easiest way. It might not be morally right but who cares."</p>
<p>"Moral doesn't exist inside and outside Night City. Violence is always the easiest and most effective way. Not to mention that 45k is a huge sum. Stopping a gang is better than supporting one. Imagine how many lives we can save if we stop Chemlord," responded Casilius.</p>
<p>"Casilius might be right," admitted V.</p>
<p>River's gaze fell on her. "I still don't want to risk our lives and shed blood unnecessarily. No one has to die if not necessary."</p>
<p>"Seems the cop is still in you," commented Casilius. "Even though you are no longer an officer, you still behave like one."</p>
<p>"You still work for the NCPD, Casilius. Shouldn't you regard things as I do?"</p>
<p>The blond man shook his head. "I might be a corpo but that doesn't mean if think like other corpos. I rather kill these bastards than letting them live. The fewer criminals are out there, the safer are Night City's streets. Just saying."</p>
<p>River thought about his words for a few moments. "I don't want to argue with you, especially because we have lots of things to do. We can discuss things when we have prepared everything."</p>
<p>"I agree with you on this point, my friend."</p>
<p>River turned away from his friend and began to walk towards the tunnel's exit. Pix and Randy followed him quickly, only Casilius, Judy and V remained.</p>
<p>"You can go already," V said to Casilius. "We will follow soon"</p>
<p>"Very well," he responded. He took a small golden case out of his pocket and opened it, taking a fat cigar out of it. He put it between his lips and reached into his other pocket, taking a lighter out. He brought it close to his face and was about to ignite a small flame as V grabbed his wrist and pulled it away forcefully.</p>
<p>Casilius tilted his head and gave V a questioning look. "What?" he asked irritated.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't do that if I were you."</p>
<p>"Why not?"</p>
<p>"You don't know if there are any inflammable gases in this tunnel. As you can see it's a pretty old tunnel. I don't want you to blow up this tunnel while we are still inside. I don't want you to blow it up at all."</p>
<p>"Fine. I'll wait until I'm outside," he responded and freed himself from V's grip."</p>
<p>"You don't need to be so rough," V said.</p>
<p>"Don't touch me and I don't need to be," Casilius said and began to move away from her.</p>
<p>V shook her head and turned to Judy, noticing the frown on her forehead.</p>
<p>"Just ignore him," Judy suggested.</p>
<p>V looked at the silver suitcase Judy was carrying. "Do you have everything?"</p>
<p>Judy shook her head. "There is a second in the boot."</p>
<p>"I will get it for you." V walked to the back of her car and opened the boot, spotting three suitcases. Two of them were hers and the other was from Judy.</p>
<p>She picked up all of them, realizing that they were heavier than expected. Nevertheless, she was able to carry them.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" Judy asked when V returned to her.</p>
<p>"I am. Due to the implants, I'm strong enough to carry these heavy things."</p>
<p>"What did you put in there? Stones?"</p>
<p>"Nah. Just weapons and ammunition. Some of these weapons are heavier than others."</p>
<p>"I can carry my suitcase if you want."</p>
<p>V gave her a small smile. "Not needed. I'm stronger than I look. But thanks for the offer."</p>
<p>"Your choice. Can we go?"</p>
<p>"Yes, babe."</p>
<p>They began to walk together, reaching the tunnel's exit after a few minutes. V put the suitcases on the ground once they were outside, stepping aside so that Judy could open them. Her suitcases were filled with lots of technical stuff. V had seen some of these elements before but she didn't have a clue what most of these items did. There were round objects, rectangular black objects but also lots of other objects that had different forms.</p>
<p>River stepped to them and pointed at the rectangular objects. "What are these for?" he asked.</p>
<p>"These are jamming transmitters. We have to bury all of them in the ground. The more we use, the more effective they are. I can connect them and make them work together to prevent any hacker or netrunner to use their abilities."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't they be suspicious when they notice that they are unable to use their abilities? They will figure out that we are setting a trap."</p>
<p>"The transmitters wouldn't be activated from the start. I will only activate three of them which are near the entrance to prevent them from noticing anyone hiding in the tunnel. They will still be able to scan the area but they won't find anyone," explained Judy.</p>
<p>"So, I need to be near these transmitters," concluded V.</p>
<p>Judy nodded. "We should bury at least one of them near the bush you want to hide in. At least three in front of the entrance. The rest can be spread out with an even distance between each other."</p>
<p>"That shouldn't take us too long, should it?" asked Casilius.</p>
<p>"It won't take long to distribute them, but it will take me a few hours to activate them, connect them and make sure they work as expected."</p>
<p>"Take all the time you need. It's not even ten so we have plenty of time left."</p>
<p>"I won't need until midnight for this," told Judy. "But you would do me a favour if you bury them in the ground. There are small shovels in the second suitcase."</p>
<p>"We will," replied River.</p>
<p>"I hope that every one of you has a functioning weapon. If not, I brought enough with me," said V.</p>
<p>Casilius opened his jacket and took a golden Deagle out of the inner pocket. "I have mine."</p>
<p>Pix pointed at the huge black box that laid on the ground next to her. "I have mine too."</p>
<p>V's gaze fell on River and Randy. "What about you?"</p>
<p>River took a silver-grey revolver out of the holster that hung on his belt. "Crash is the only weapon I need."</p>
<p>V quickly realized that Randy had no weapon. "Take one of mine, Randy."</p>
<p>The young man nodded and walked over to V's suitcases. She opened them and revealed their content to everyone. There were plenty of different weapons. Machine guns, rifles, SMGs, shotguns, pistols, melee weapons and even grenades and other useful gadgets.</p>
<p>"Wow. Didn't expect you to bring a whole arsenal with you," Randy responded amazed.</p>
<p>"Not all of these weapons belong to me. Most of them are borrowed. I didn't know how many people would come so I decided to borrow more than necessary. It doesn't hurt to have a wide selection of weapons," explained V.</p>
<p>Randy said nothing in response as he took a closer look at the weapons. He took a grey-blue pistol and loaded it, aiming at the nearest tree. He shot three times, hitting three different spots beneath the tree's knothole.</p>
<p>"Not bad," complimented Casilius. "Seems your uncles taught you a thing or two."</p>
<p>"My uncle had little to do with that. My friends taught me how to shoot."</p>
<p>"All that matters is that you can shoot properly. We might need your firepower."</p>
<p>Randy's gaze wandered to the second suitcase. "Bulletproof vests. Interesting." He picked up one of them and examined it. "From Militech. Where did you get these?" he asked V.</p>
<p>"I have my connections, that's all you need to know," replied V.</p>
<p>Randy took off his jacket and put on the vest, then he put his jacket on again. "It looks heavy but it isn't heavy at all," he said. His voice and eyes reflected surprise.</p>
<p>"Militech weapons and armours are the best for a reason. There is nothing better than Militech stuff," V told. She averted her gaze from Randy and looked at the others. "Each of you should take one of these vests. Unfortunately, I didn't get any bulletproof helmets or trousers. The vest must do."</p>
<p>River took one of them. "Better than nothing. Thanks, V."</p>
<p>V nodded at him and then looked at the jamming transmitters, taking two of them. "We should start burying these."</p>
<p>They buried twenty transmitters together, not only in the area in front of the tunnel but also in the area around it. They returned to Judy when they were done. She was sitting on a small rock, under a sunshade River had brought and was typing on her laptop which was standing on a small box. It took her hours to connect and programme the transmitters, as she had said.</p>
<p>"I think I'm finished," Judy said after four hours.</p>
<p>"So, everything is working?" Casilius asked curiously.</p>
<p>"It should."</p>
<p>"We better test it," said River.</p>
<p>"I suggest that one of us goes in the tunnel and someone else try to find them with their scanners. If the person cannot be detected, it means that the transmitters work."</p>
<p>"I will go," said Casilius. "The heat is killing me. The tunnel will allow me to cool down a little." He turned around and walked away before receiving an answer, entering the tunnel a few moments later.</p>
<p>V looked at Judy who gave her the signal to wait. "Try it now," she said after two minutes.</p>
<p>V got closer to the entrance, brought her fingers to the metal plate above her left ear and pressed it. Her vision turned greenish and her scanner began to analyse her surroundings.</p>
<p>Normally, it would highlight the metal pipes on the tunnel's ceiling and analyse their condition but it didn't do that. She looked into the tunnel and spotted Casilius. She saw him with her eyes but her scanner didn't detect him. Casilius stepped behind a support pillar, vanishing from V's sight. V removed her fingers, causing her vision to become normal for a few moments before she pressed the metal plate again. Once again, her scanner didn't recognize Casilius.</p>
<p>"Not bad," V whispered and turned her scanner off again. She walked back to Judy and the others, noticing the curious looks on their faces. "It works. My scanner didn't recognize Casilius even though I saw him with my own eyes."</p>
<p>A small smile appeared on Judy's lips. "That's great to hear."</p>
<p>"The only problem is that we cannot use our scanners and tech either," objected River.</p>
<p>"I'm already on that," announced Judy and continued to type on her laptop. "There is a way to add us to a network. That way, you can use your scanners and other tech implanted in your bodies while our enemies cannot."</p>
<p>"You won't activate the transmitters from the start, only in case they come too close to the entrance. Do I get that right?" asked Randy.</p>
<p>"They will scan you when they catch sight of you. Hiding weapons or tools is pointless. We cannot activate the network from the beginning because they will know that something is wrong when they try to scan you. They will get suspicious and maybe even assume that you set a trap for them," explained Judy.</p>
<p>"Makes sense," admitted Randy.</p>
<p>"Give me half an hour. Best is that you remain near me. Makes things easier for me. And someone should bring Casilius back. I need to add him to the network too."</p>
<p>"I will get to him," announced River and made his way to the tunnel entrance. He reappeared with his friend a few minutes later. Casilius sat down on another rock, pulled a cigar out of his case and lighted the tip, taking a long puff.</p>
<p>"You are the only one who didn't put on a bulletproof vest yet," V said to him.</p>
<p>"I don't need one," Casilius replied without looking at her. The expression he made and the tone of his voice signalized V that he was bored. "I do not plan to get hit."</p>
<p>V frowned. "It can still happen. You said yourself that this meeting will end in a bloodbath."</p>
<p>"I know but I still don't need a vest. My chromatic skin will protect me from their bullets."</p>
<p>"I doubt it, honestly. I never heard of impenetrable chromatic skin. There is nothing which speaks against it, to be honest. The vests are very light, so you barely notice that you are wearing one," told V.</p>
<p>"They do not fit beneath my suit. It's made-to-measure. There is no space beneath it," explained the blond man.</p>
<p>"Then take it off," protested V. She couldn't understand why Casilius was refusing to put on one of the vests.</p>
<p>"If Chemlord and his henchmen are smart, they will aim at my head anyway. There is no point in wearing one of these."</p>
<p>V was about to say something but River put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. "You only waste your time if you try to convince him. Trust me. He is the most stubborn man I ever met."</p>
<p>"But..."</p>
<p>River shook his head, signalizing her to drop the topic.</p>
<p>V exhaled loudly and looked at Casilius. "Fine. I respect your decision."</p>
<p>"We've prepared everything. What do we do now?" asked Pix.</p>
<p>"Waiting," replied V. "Waiting until Judy is done and then we will wait until the gang comes."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"If I didn't have an improved ocular system, I wouldn't see shit. This tunnel is so dark," complained Pix.</p>
<p>"The outside is not much brighter, Pix," responded V and let her gaze wander. She was able to recognize her surroundings due to her implants. She was able to see Randy and River not far away from her. They were the only ones outside, no gang members could be seen. She turned her head and looked at the tunnel entrance, noticing that Pix was standing next to a column about thirty feet away from the entrance. Like Judy and Casilius she was waiting in the tunnel while V was hiding in one of the several bushes outside the tunnel.</p>
<p>She had everything she needed with her. She wore a bulletproof vest, had several grenades that hung on her belt, her katana hung on her back and her pistol was holstered. The katana and the pistol were not originally hers but their previous owners were dead so they wouldn't need it anymore. V had become their new owner.</p>
<p>V took the pistol out of the holster and regarded it. It was a familiar grey-golden pistol which meant a lot to her.</p>
<p>
  <em>La Chingona Dorada</em>
</p>
<p>That was its name.</p>
<p>It brought up memories. Memories about a dear friend she had lost. Jackie. She hadn't coped with his death yet but she was working on it. She carried the weapon with her to not forget about Jackie. The best friend she ever had.</p>
<p>The gun was sacred to her. She will always hold it in honour and make sure it won't be destroyed. There was a second identical pistol which she kept at home in case the first one would get destroyed or lost. She would never use the second pistol. Never. She was too afraid to lose both of them. These pistols were all she had left of Jackie.</p>
<p>V ran a finger over the barrel and regarded it for a few more moments before she put it back in the holster. She cleared her throat and turned her head, checking her surroundings once again. She couldn't see anyone but it seemed that River had noticed something. She could see the change of expression on his face. The neutral look had vanished and had been replaced by curiosity but also by caution.</p>
<p>"Someone is coming, right?" V asked River. Due to the tech in their heads, she was able to talk to any member of the group.</p>
<p>"I cannot see anyone but I feel something," told River. "Judy, does the network you created already recognize any strangers?"</p>
<p>"Give me a sec," responded Judy. She was silent for a whole minute but then reported back. "It noticed seven unknown identities."</p>
<p>"Seven? That must be Chemlord and his gang."</p>
<p>"Are you prepared enough?" V asked River.</p>
<p>"I am. I spent the past hours figuring out what to say to him, how I could say it and so on. I feel pretty confident," responded the former detective.</p>
<p>"I know you can do it, River."</p>
<p>"Thanks, V."</p>
<p>"If you are at a loss of words, you have Randy to help you out."</p>
<p>V saw River turning his head and looking at his nephew. She recognized a small smile on his lips. "Indeed, I have," he replied.</p>
<p>"As long as you remain calm and tell Chemlord what you have to say, everything will be alright. If he refuses, open fire but take cover quickly. We put up the boxes near the tunnel entrance for a reason," Casilius said.</p>
<p>"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for reminding me."</p>
<p>"No problem, friend."</p>
<p>The following silence didn't last for too long. "I can see them but there are only five persons."</p>
<p>"Five?" V asked alarmed. "Are you sure?"</p>
<p>"Yes, I am. Looks like the two others are hiding somewhere," replied River.</p>
<p>"I have a bad feeling about this," muttered V.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night was dark, the air was cold but the wind was calm. Except for quiet footsteps, no sounds could be heard. No sounds but River's and Randy's quiet breaths. Despite the distance, V was able to hear everything due to her extraordinary hearing. She wouldn't be able to hear the steps without the not-so-cheap implants in her ears.</p>
<p>"I cannot see them yet," V said to Randy and River.</p>
<p>"They are not too far away," announced River. "You will see them in a few minutes."</p>
<p>"Am I the only one who is a bit nervous?" asked Randy.</p>
<p>River turned to his nephew and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to be nervous and afraid. Don't worry, Randy. Everything will be alright as long as we are together."</p>
<p>"I hope so," replied the young man. His voice reflected insecurity so did the look on his face. River stared at him for a few moments before he averted his gaze and looked to the south-east.</p>
<p>As expected, the unknown figures came in V's sight a few minutes later. Five persons, four men and a woman. V had never seen any of them before but for some reason, she assumed that the man in the middle was Chemlord. He was a skinny man with pale skin, which looked more ill than natural, and green eyes. The lower half of his face was covered by a neon green glowing gasmask. His dark green hair was made in long and thick braids which reached to his shoulders. He wore a green jacket and a pair of neon green trousers. His sneakers were venom-green. V had no doubt that green was his favourite colour.</p>
<p>Chemlord and his gang stopped not far away from River and Randy who were a little taller than him. Chemlord's gaze first landed on River and then fall on Randy. "You brought your uncle with you. How expectable." His distorted voice slightly reminded V of the voice of a computer or an AI. He was using a voice changer.</p>
<p>Chemlord looked at the man to his left who wore a grey bomber jacket and matching trousers. "Scan the area."</p>
<p>The man with the short pink hair made a step forward and brought his right hand to his right temple, pressing his fingers against his skin. He let his gaze wander, regarding the surroundings closely. He scanned the bushes, even the one V was hiding and then looked back at River and Randy, scanning them too.</p>
<p>The man looked back at his boss and said. "No one else is there beside them. Both of them have handguns but no other weapons."</p>
<p>V regarded the happening curiously. She was relieved that the man had not noticed her presence.</p>
<p>"I created a new network for these people. The transmitters allow them to use their abilities but they cannot detect you or anyone else. They cannot notice your presence. They can only scan those who are also part of the newly created network," Judy told V.</p>
<p>"But you are still able to block their abilities, scanners and other tech if a fight starts, right?" asked V.</p>
<p>"Yep. As long as one of the two absent persons doesn't notice anything and find a way to deactivate my protocols."</p>
<p>"Do you have any idea where they are?" V asked.</p>
<p>"Not yet. I'm still looking for them."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't surprise me if one of them is a hacker and the other a sniper," muttered V.</p>
<p>"It's possible. I'll tell you once I know more. Let's hope that River and Randy can keep them busy until I found out the positions of the absent gang members."</p>
<p>As soon as Judy's voice became silent, V focused back on River, Randy and the gang. They were still standing on the same spots and looking at each other.</p>
<p>"You didn't tell me to come alone," replied Randy eventually.</p>
<p>"You are right about that. Anyway, do you have my money?" Chemlord asked.</p>
<p>"No, I haven't," replied Randy. V noticed that it wasn't easy for him to keep calm. Various emotions could be seen in Randy's eyes but he managed to keep in control and not let his emotions speak and act for him.</p>
<p>Chemlord tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"</p>
<p>River made a step forward, intending to say something but Chemlord cut him off by making a simple gesture. He raised his right hand and pointed at River. He eyed River for a few seconds before he looked back at Randy who appeared to be more nervous than before. "Either you are weary of life to show up without my money or you are just dumb."</p>
<p>"Neither of them," said River. "We do not have your money because it's impossible to get 45k together in such a short time."</p>
<p>Chemlord's eyes narrowed. "That's...," he paused for a few moments, looking for the right words. "Unfortunate for you."</p>
<p>His hand wandered to the gun that hung on his belt but he stopped as River signalized him to wait. "Give me a reason why I should not shoot a bullet through your skulls."</p>
<p>"We have an offer that might interest you."</p>
<p>Chemlord tilted his head in the other direction. "An offer? Now you aroused my interest. Go ahead and speak before I lose my patience."</p>
<p>"We can pay you the sum in instalments..."</p>
<p>Chemlord's robotic laugh interrupted River and prevented him from explaining any further. He kept laughing for a whole minute, wiping a tear away once he was done. "That was the dumbest idea I ever heard."</p>
<p>"Well, there are worse ideas, to be honest. That way, you get your money. Even more money than you requested, if you give us time," explained River.</p>
<p>"I've made bad experiences with instalments. I want my money now or something bad will happen to your family." The criminal's gaze fell on Randy. "You had months to collect enough money but instead of trying, you had a good time due to these drugs, you pathetic junky. You wasted your time."</p>
<p>"I don't even owe you so much money. You sold me drugs worth 15k but not 45k. That's not fair," Randy protested.</p>
<p>Chemlord shrugged. "You might be right but I don't care. You are not in the position to make demands but I am. And if I demand 45k then I want 45k. Is that clear?" His voice sounded much more aggressive suddenly. His eyes were narrowed to slits and his posture also reflected aggression. It was clear that it was best to not tangle with him.</p>
<p>"We can only give you the original sum at the moment. Not the sum you made up for no reason," replied Randy. He didn't show anyone how worried and afraid he was. He had put on a brave face.</p>
<p>Chemlord titled his head once again. "Seems we have a problem." His hand grabbed the grip of his gun but he didn't draw it yet. "Any ideas of how we can solve this <em>little</em> <em>problem</em>?"</p>
<p>One of his men cleared his throat. It was a white man whose bald head would reflect the sun if they would have met in the middle of the day. He wore baggy trousers and a white shirt which couldn't hide his fat belly. His hairy arms were exposed, so was his double-chin<strong>.</strong> He looked ugly, but what was even more ugly was the idea he suggested once his boss allowed him to speak.</p>
<p>"Your mother is very pretty, isn't she?" he asked Randy. "I can imagine a way she could pay your debts off."</p>
<p>That suggestion made V sick. This piece of shit seriously suggested that Joss should sell her body for money. He wanted her to work as a Joytoy, a prostitute. V felt not only sick but also angry. Very angry. But she was not the only one who felt that way.</p>
<p>River stepped forward, before Chemlord or anyone else could say something, and grabbed the man by his collar, bumping his forehead in the man's nose. The man's cries were loud and became even louder as River punched him in the jaw and threw him to the ground. He wanted to pounce on the man but his nephew held him back. He fought back at first but then stopped as soon as he realized what he had done.</p>
<p>V expected things to go south from this point. She expected that the bloodbath would begin at this moment. La Chingona Dorada laid in her left hand, her finger was on the trigger as she aimed at Chemlord. She was ready to shoot but she didn't because no one else shot or did anything else to start the bloodbath.</p>
<p>Anger was reflected by the eyes of Chemlord's underlings, it was clearly visible that they would love to riddle River's body with bullets but they didn't. They had drawn their weapons but they didn't shoot. On the contrary, they lowered them as soon as Chemlord lifted his left hand, his index finger pointed upwards. Unlike the gazes of his underlings, his gaze didn't rest on River or Randy. Instead, he stared at the overweighted man who laid in the dirt and was covering his broken, bleeding nose with his hands.</p>
<p>He shook his head as he walked over to his underling and squatted down next to him. "You deserve that, Michael. You have had many good suggestions in the past but this one was not a good one."</p>
<p>Michael stared at his boss, anger was still visible in his eyes but he said nothing. He was fighting with his emotions but he didn't do anything or say anything he would regret later. Chemlord stretched his arm out, offered him his hand but pulled it back before Michael could grab it. "Get up yourself," Chemlord hissed and got up, stepping away from his underling. He walked back to River and looked at him as if nothing had happened. "Where were we?"</p>
<p>"We were talking about alternative ways to pay off our debts that do not involve my sister. Or my family in general," said River strictly. The look on his face told the gang leader that he was serious about this.</p>
<p>A thoughtful look appeared on Chemlord's face. "Right, let me think."</p>
<p>River and Randy said nothing as they watched Chemlord walking circles around his underlings. He stopped eventually and returned to River who gave him a curious look. "As a former detective, you collected a lot of information over the years. Useful information. Information about gangs, forbidden substances and so on. If you could give me access to such information, I might lower the sum your nephew owes me."</p>
<p>"Lower? By how much?"</p>
<p>"Depends on the value of the information."</p>
<p>V had said nothing to River so far, allowing him to do it his way, but this time she broke her silence and told him what was on her mind. "This is not an option, River. Giving secret, highly confidential information to a criminal will have bad consequences for Night City. Very bad consequences."</p>
<p>"I cannot do that," River told Chemlord after he had been silent for several minutes.</p>
<p>"You are no longer a corpo, so what is stopping you?" Chemlord asked. "It's not that you can get fired because of this."</p>
<p>"That might be true but I still cannot do this. You will do nothing good with such information."</p>
<p>Chemlord exhaled, disappointment could be seen in his eyes. "Well, in that case, I cannot lower the sum you are owing me. Do you have any other idea of how we can come to an agreement?"</p>
<p>River turned his head slowly, looking at Randy who gave him a nod. He shifted his gaze back to Chemlord who regarded him curiously.</p>
<p>"I have."</p>
<p>Chemlord tilted his head. "And what is your idea?"</p>
<p>"You will find out soon enough," replied River and put his right hand on his hip.</p>
<p>Confusion could be seen in Chemlord's eyes as he eyed River and his nephew. "I do not understand...," he began but he couldn't complete his sentence. He was interrupted by the sound of a body hitting the ground.</p>
<p>He turned around instantly, his eyes widened when he saw that Michael laid dead on the ground. There was a hole in Michael's forehead out of which blood was flowing out. Chemlord's hand wandered to his gun, he drew it as he turned around but he got hit by three bullets before he could do anything.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for River and Randy, none of these bullets had seriously wounded him. He was not even bleeding. A loud metallic scream could be heard right before Chemlord lifted his gun and took aim. He shot four times but River and Randy managed to reach cover in time. They crouched behind the boxes not far away from the tunnel's entrance, waiting for a chance to fire back at the gang that was shooting at them.</p>
<p>"I think it is time to fully activate the transmitters," River said to Judy.</p>
<p>"I'm on it," she replied.</p>
<p>"Have you located the hidden gang members yet?" V asked Judy.</p>
<p>"The network just identified their locations. One of them is above us on top of the mountain. He has a sniper rifle and should have a clear view of River and Randy. You must get inside the tunnel quickly before he hits one of you."</p>
<p>At the exact moment Judy said that, a shot hit the box very close to River's head. If he wouldn't have moved his head coincidentally, he would have been hit. He jumped away from the boxes and sprinted to the tunnel entrance, firing back at the gang once he was in. The gang stopped shooting and looked for cover, allowing Randy to sprint to the entrance too.</p>
<p>"One of us has to take care of the sniper," Casilius said as he reloaded his Deagle.</p>
<p>"V is the only one out there who could do that. She is still outside while we cannot leave the tunnel without getting riddled with bullets."</p>
<p>"I cannot run to the top of the mountain without getting hit by the sniper. That's suicide," V argued.</p>
<p>"If you give me a few minutes, I can malfunction the sniper rifle. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you how long it will be disabled. You have to get up there as fast as you can," told Judy.</p>
<p>V turned her head and regarded the mountain. It was steep but not unclimbable. "Seems the implants in my legs finally pay off. I think I can reach the top. I'll jump my way up, but I will not remain unnoticed for long."</p>
<p>"We will cover you by keeping the gang busy. We will fire everything we have at them," said Pix.</p>
<p>"What about the last gang member?" V asked. "Do you know where they are?"</p>
<p>"I do. He is inside one of the gang's cars that park behind a rock not far away from this place. I have no doubt that he is a hacker but he will not have the chance to hack any of us. But I have no doubt that he will realise sooner or later that something is blocking his abilities. It's only a matter of time until he will figure out everything."</p>
<p>"Means we have to hurry."</p>
<p>"Exactly," replied Judy.</p>
<p>"Alright. Cover my back and I will climb that mountain and take out that snipping son of a bitch."</p>
<p>"We are on it," announced River and checked his surroundings. He spotted one of the gang members who was hiding behind one of the numerous rocks. He poked his head out the exact moment, allowing River to aim and shoot at him. Unfortunately for River, the man managed to get behind his cover before the bullet would have hit him.</p>
<p>"We don't have to let things end like this. I'm sure we can find a solution which is good for all of us," shouted Chemlord.</p>
<p>"Do not listen to him," V said to River. "He will try to buy time. I have no doubt he will shoot us when he has the chance even if we agree to negotiate with him again."</p>
<p>"Don't worry, I won't."</p>
<p>More bullets flew through the air. Both parties were busy firing at each other. It was the perfect moment for V to sneak away.</p>
<p>"Please tell me when you manage to shut down the sniper's rifle, Judy," V said impatiently.</p>
<p>"Give me a sec...," said Judy quietly. She continued to type on her laptop but she didn't need long to finish what she had started. "I'm done. You can go now but take care of yourself, babe."</p>
<p>"I will. Everyone, keep firing and distracting them."</p>
<p>V didn't hesitate to leave the bush she was hiding. She drew her pistol and conducted energy from all over her body into her legs, charging the implants in her ankles. She activated them once they were loaded, leaping into the air and landing on a rock several feet away from her original location. She began to run, jumping again once the implants were ready. She made another large leap, letting a huge distance behind her. She came closer to the top with each leap she made but she didn't remain unnoticed.</p>
<p>The sniper aimed at her, his finger was on the trigger but nothing happened when he pulled it. Suddenly, sparks were emitted from the weapon which began to vibrate violently. The sniper dropped his rifle suddenly, making V assume that Judy had managed to overheat it.</p>
<p>She could see the confusion in the man's face as she came closer. He drew a revolver from his belt and aimed but he wasn't able to fire a shot. A loud curse escaped his lips as V came closer and his weapons still refused to work. He dropped the revolver and let his hand wandered to his belt, grabbing a grenade which he threw at second later.</p>
<p>V reacted quickly and shot at it while it was still in the air. The grenade exploded not far away from the sniper, the created shockwave threw the man away. He fell to the ground but he got up quicker than V had expected.</p>
<p>He took another grenade from his belt but he didn't throw it this time. He froze when he realized that V was standing not far away from him, the barrel of her pistol pointed at his head. "One wrong move and I will blow your head off."</p>
<p>The man tilted his head, a weak smile appeared on his lips.</p>
<p>"Don't try it," warned V.</p>
<p>The man removed the ring and threw the explosive object. V reacted quickly and jumped forward, pulling the trigger of her pistol at the same moment. The shot that came off hit the man in the left hand, causing him to cry out in pain. V took advantage of the moment where the man was stunned because of the immense pain he was feeling and rushed over to him, drawing her katana from her back. The grenade landed near her previous position but the explosion neither harmed her or the man.</p>
<p>V buried the katana blade deep between her opponent's ribs and tackled him, pushing him to the ground. She pulled the blade out of his upper body, not missing the amount of blood that flowed out the very next moment. She brought the blade to his head, slightly pressing its tip against his throat without hurting him.</p>
<p>She stared into the man's eyes, realizing that his gaze was empty. He was already dead and she felt no remorse. He had tried to kill her but she had been faster. She felt no guilt for killing him. She didn't feel guilty in general when she killed a criminal who deserved it.</p>
<p>"The sniper is dead," announced V. The call was still active, so she was still able to communicate with her team.</p>
<p>"That's good news. Now that you took care of him, you could come back to us. We could really need some help down there, V," responded Judy.</p>
<p>"I'm on my way, babe."</p>
<p>V didn't hesitate to make her way back to the mountain's foot. Not a single time did someone try to hit her while she jumped down the steep mountain. She came to the right arm of the U-shaped tunnel entrance and took cover behind a rock, scanning her surroundings. Chemlord's gang had spread out, one man was hiding behind a tree while Chemlord and the woman hid behind a large rock. The last man had climbed on top of the left arm of the entrance and was cowering behind a fallen tree trunk.</p>
<p>The bullets they sent off were meant to hit those who were hiding inside the tunnel. They took turns hiding behind their cover and shooting at V's friends. V's scanner noticed that the man behind the tree was wounded. He had taken a shot in the left forearm, he was bleeding but he did nothing to stop it. He was too busy trying to kill V's friends to take care of himself.</p>
<p>"Is everyone alright?" V asked right before she pulled her pistol from her holster and fired three shots at the wounded man. The man avoided the first two bullets but he couldn't avoid the third. A loud scream escaped the man's lips, he staggered backwards and fell, landing on the ground. His rifle slipped out of his hands and landed onto the ground and slid several inches.</p>
<p>V was aware that the man was lying on the ground and pressing his hands on his left upper thigh. She was aware that he was defenceless but she had no intention to show mercy. He tried to kill her friends, so she wouldn't spare him. She took aim and let her gun go off.</p>
<p>A clean shot right between the man's eyes.</p>
<p>The man's artificial eyes stopped glowing the moment his head fell backwards. His body twitched for a few seconds but then became limp.</p>
<p>He was dead.</p>
<p>V duck behind the rock, noticing the bullets that missed her head by an inch. If she would have hesitated a millisecond longer, she would have been hit. She signed out in relief and reloaded her weapon, frowning when she realized that she hadn't gotten a response so far.</p>
<p>"Is everyone alright?" she asked again.</p>
<p>"Despite the fact that their hacker is trying to get into my network and shut it down, we are fine," replied Judy.</p>
<p>"We have to stop him. As soon as the network is down, he can mess with our heads. I want to avoid that. You know better than anyone else what a skilled hacker or netrunner can do to people. Causing our synapses to burn out is not even the worst thing he can do to us."</p>
<p>Judy's voice reflected worry as she responded to her girlfriend. "I'm currently trying to stop the hacker's attempts but I have a bad feeling that he will manage to overwrite my protocols sooner or later. He is better than expected."</p>
<p>"Seems I have to take him out as soon as I can."</p>
<p>"Be careful, V. There are not many things out there to take cover behind," warned River.</p>
<p>"I can take care of myself but thanks for worrying about me."</p>
<p>"We will keep them busy but you have to reach the hacker as fast as you can."</p>
<p>V took a deep breath and peeked above the rock she was hiding behind, realizing that no one was firing at her at the moment. Chemlord and his remaining underlings were firing bullets and throwing grenades at the entrance. Fortunately, none of these explosive projectiles had landed in the tunnel so far.</p>
<p>She jumped up and sprinted forward, taking cover behind the nearest tree that was about sixty feet away from her previous position. She had a perfect view of Chemlord and his gang who hadn't moved away from their spots. Their left sides were turned to her, none of them had noticed her so far. She stepped away from her cover and began to run, noticing out of the corners of her eyes that Chemlord turned his head and looked at her. He aimed at her and shot three times.</p>
<p>One of the bullets hit her left forearm but V didn't feel any pain. Her entire left forearm was made out of metal with lots of wires inside. She didn't feel pain nor was she bleeding but she still had a problem. The bullet had pierced through the metal, destroyed the wires and come out of the other side.</p>
<p>She may not need to be afraid that she would lose too much blood but she couldn't use her left forearm anymore. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move it. She couldn't even move her fingers and open her hand. That way, she could neither use her gun nor drop it or take the gun out of her hand. At least she still had her right hand and her katana.</p>
<p>V waited until Chemlord had to reload his gun and threw a grenade at him. He managed to destroy the grenade with a precise shot while it was still in the air but it still served its purpose. The electric shockwave caused the weapons of Chemlord's underlings to malfunction. They tried to fire but not a single bullet left the weapons' muzzles. Chemlord's weapon was still functioning but he didn't manage to hit V with his following shots.</p>
<p>The gang's vehicles came closer and closer with each passing second. V caught sight of the hacker, a man at the age of thirty who wore black jeans and a black shirt with long sleeves. He had short blond hair, both of his eyes were mechanical and his nose was made of iron. He was sitting on a camping chair and his black laptop was standing on a folding table. He was busy typing on his laptop, his eyes were glued to the screen. He was not aware of V's presence. An advantage V would make use of.</p>
<p>Her katana made no sound when she pulled it from its sheath. She said nothing and tried to produce no sound but it was impossible to not make any sound while running over the dry and brittle soil. Her footsteps were clearly hearable.</p>
<p>The man recognized her after a few seconds, jumping up from his camping chair. He turned around and pulled his gun from his belt but it was already too late for him. V leapt and landed in front of him, cutting off the hand that held the weapon before he could fire at her.</p>
<p>The man's screams were loud and they didn't become quieter when V thrust her katana through the man's upper body. She pulled the blade out and kicked the man, causing him to fall backwards and land on the ground. The expression on V's face was neutral as she watched him die. She made sure he was really dead before she turned around and checked her surroundings.</p>
<p>Only Chemlord and the women were left. They were hiding behind their cover and only shot back when they got an opportunity. The cover may protect them from bullets shot by V's group but it didn't protect them from bullets coming from V's direction. The opposite direction.</p>
<p>She couldn't use her pistol but there was another pistol she could use. She put her katana back in the sheat and picked up the hacker's pistol, getting behind one of the vehicles before she started to shot at the criminals. She hit the woman in the chest but it wasn't enough to kill her. It required V to riddle her with bullets to take her down. The woman's dead body fell onto the ground, blood flowed out of the wounds and spread all over the ground.</p>
<p>Chemlord's gaze remained on his dead underling for a few moments before it wandered to V. "You will pay for this, whore," he spat and opened fire at V. The mercenary hid behind the car's front, waiting until Chemlord had shot his whole magazine and was forced to insert in a new one.</p>
<p>She jumped up and fired, hitting Chemlord several times. Like the last time, the bullets didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He was still able to move and fire. He sprinted to another rock and hid behind it, vanishing from V's sight. He was no longer exposed to V's shots as long as he hid behind the rock.</p>
<p>"I will make you pay for each life you have ended today," Chemlord hissed. He peeked from behind the rock, pulling his head back at the last moment and dodged a bullet that would have hit him if he wouldn't have reacted so fast. "Nice try but now it's my turn."</p>
<p>V noticed the grenade that flew through the air soon enough. She aimed at it and shot but missed. The grenade landed not far away from her but it didn't explode on impact. V got up and jumped away quickly. As it turned out Chemlord had not thrown an explosive grenade at her. The rising dark green smoke told V that it was a poison grenade.</p>
<p>Fortunately, V didn't inhale the gas when she ran away from the vehicles. The smoke spread out quickly, preventing her from taking cover behind any of the three vehicles. She was forced to leave her safe spot and put herself in danger. The risk to get hit by a bullet was high but she had no other choice if she didn't want to inhale the deadly gas. She was sure she wouldn't die immediately if she would inhale it but she knew about the side effects. They were anything but pleasant.</p>
<p>"There you are," muttered Chemlord and aimed his gun at V who was running towards the nearest rock. He shot, hitting her left shoulder but he received a bullet in return. Not from V but from someone else. He turned around, his eyes widened when he caught sight of River, Randy and Casilius who were coming closer. They shot while moving, hitting Chemlord's body over and over again. He was riddled with bullets but he was still able to stand and fire back.</p>
<p>"Aim at the head," V shouted once she had taken cover.</p>
<p>She took a grenade from her belt and threw it. It was an EMP grenade. V was hoping that the electricity that will spread out when the grenade will explode will overload the tech in Chemlord's body and shut it down. She had the assumption that he had special implants which protected him, otherwise, the bullets which had hit him would have wounded him and make him bleed. It appeared as if he was immune to their bullets but V was certain he was not.</p>
<p>The grenade exploded next to his feet and shocked the gang leader, stunning him long enough that River could sprint over to him and tackle him. They fell to the ground together, River landed on top of Chemlord whose limbs were spread out.</p>
<p>River did the first thing that came into his mind. Removing the gasmask and punching Chemlord until his face was nothing more than a bloody mess. Randy and Casilius had to combine their strength to pull him away from the defenceless gang leader.</p>
<p>V approached them and regarded the beaten criminal, aiming her pistol at his head. "Do not do any wrong moves or I shoot."</p>
<p>Chemlord spat blood out, his eyes were narrowed and reflected hatred but he said nothing.</p>
<p>"What shall we do with him?" Randy asked.</p>
<p>"He knows our faces and where your family lives. I'm sure he will come back for revenge if we let him alive," responded Casilius. "We should kill him. The fewer criminals live, the better."</p>
<p>"Why don't we lock him behind bars? I'm sure the police will lock him up forever."</p>
<p>"You forget that Chemlord will tell them what happened which means that they will look for us."</p>
<p>"You are working for the NCPD. Can't you solve things for us? Tell them it was self-defence."</p>
<p>Casilius turned his head and looked at Randy. "It doesn't work that way. They will check my memories and find out that it was not self-defence. Remember we were the ones who shot first."</p>
<p>"Casilius is right. We cannot let him live. We have to end his life and destroy all the proofs. It's not that he doesn't deserve it. He is a criminal who sells forbidden chemicals which already destroyed numerous lives. Have you seen the statistics about the causes of death in the past decade? The fourth most common cause of death is drug overdose. I know that he is not the only drug dealer in and outside Night City but I'm certain that he ruined many lives by giving people access to these dangerous chemicals. Not to mention that he actually killed a lot of people, blackmailed them or forced them to do whatever he wanted from them," Randy's uncle said to him.</p>
<p>The young man turned his head to look at his relative. "But earlier you spoke out against killing. I'm confused now."</p>
<p>River exhaled loudly. "I do not like to take lives but it has become necessary as a detective in Night City. Nowadays everyone has a gun and almost every criminal refuses to be arrested. They don't mind killing policemen, so we often have no other choice than killing them first."</p>
<p>Randy said nothing in return, his facial expression told everyone that he was conflicted. He turned away and stared at the dark sky, a thoughtful look could be seen on his face.</p>
<p>"Killing me won't make things easier for you," Chemlord spat out.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" V asked.</p>
<p>Chemlord's bloody lips formed a mischievous grin. "I have friends. Friends who know about our meeting. It is only a matter of time until they figure out that you killed me. I wouldn't want to mess with them if I were you. My friends are much more powerful than I am, their influence is much larger than mine. They will come after you if you kill me."</p>
<p>"You are bluffing," V replied.</p>
<p>Chemlord's grin became wider. "Am I? Are you sure about that?"</p>
<p>V averted her gaze and looked at the three men to her left. She couldn't see Randy's face but River's whose eyes reflected a small amount of worry. It seemed that he was believing him. Casilius, on the other hand, appeared to be unimpressed. He got closer to Chemlord and squatted down next to him. "I don't believe you."</p>
<p>Chemlord used his remaining strength to lift up his upper body so that he could stare directly into Casilius' eyes. "They will paint the ground with your blood and disassemble your worthless bodies. Then they will sell your implants and the tech in your bodies. They might let the women live and brainwash them. They will turn them into whores who will use their bodies to make money for the rest of their worthless lives. They will..."</p>
<p>A bullet between Chemlord's eyes not only ended his hateful speech but also his life. Casilius put his Deagle back in its holster and stood up, stepping away from the man he had just shot. "I doubt that a pitiful creature like this has any friends. He was bluffing."</p>
<p>"And what if not?" asked a familiar voice. Casilius turned around and caught sight of Judy who was accompanied by Pix. The women stood not far away from him and regarded the surroundings closely.</p>
<p>"You were right that his meeting will end in a bloodbath," Pix said once she was done examining.</p>
<p>Casilius ignored Pix's comment and responded to Judy instead. "Then we will deal with them too."</p>
<p>"We might need more support if Chemlord spoke the truth," V replied.</p>
<p>Judy's gaze fell on her girlfriend, her eyes widened when she recognized the damage that had been done to her. "You are wounded," she said as she approached V and took a closer look at her. Worry was written all over her face.</p>
<p>"Wounded is the wrong word. I'm not bleeding, it's just my cyberware that has been damaged. Viktor will take care of it."</p>
<p>Judy grabbed V's left hand and brought it closer to her face to examine it. "You might need a new hand. Not only has the bullet destroyed the wires but also deformed the metal. Not sure if Viktor can repair that hand."</p>
<p>"I will let Viktor decide what to do. He's the expert, the only ripperdoc I trust."</p>
<p>Judy nodded understandingly. "Do you feel any pain?"</p>
<p>V shook her head.</p>
<p>"What about your shoulder?"</p>
<p>V looked at her right shoulder. "I got lucky that the bullet didn't hit the flesh but the implant instead. I have to change it too, I assume. Seems my next visit to Viktor's clinic will not be so cheap."</p>
<p>"Chemlord's base is not far away from here. I'm sure there is lots of hidden money and other stuff which brings a lot of eddies. I'm sure you can cover your bills with the stuff we find there," told Casilius.</p>
<p>V pointed at Casilius' golden arm. "Seems like you could put the money to good use too. These holes do not look fancy at all. Unfortunately, gold is not very cheap these days."</p>
<p>Casilius looked down at himself and then took off his suit jacket, whose right sleeve had a lot of holes. "I know someone who can fix this for a fair price. Don't worry about me."</p>
<p>V let her gaze wander, checking her surroundings. "Dawn won't approach in the next five hours, so we have enough time to get rid of the pieces of evidence before we seek out Chemlord's base."</p>
<p>Pix stepped to her. "Then let's get going. The sooner we're done, the better."</p>
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